Smoke from the dozens of wildfires now burning in the Pacific Northwest is already fouling the air to our north, and it is set to start fouling ours in the next 24 hours.
Brace yourselves for what could be the Bay Area's first signficant brush with wildfire smoke of the season, following last week's introduction via the Woodside Fire in Sonoma — which smothered parts of the North Bay Thursday and was being smelled in SF on Friday.
Starting late Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, models show smoke from the 52 active fires burning in Oregon and Washington billowing southward into the Bay Area, and it is all but certain to negatively impact air quality here. The only variables will be how the wind moves, and how much of the smoke stays aloft, versus reaching ground level.
The smoke forecast seen below from NOAA and the National Weather Service suggests that smoke will blow down along the coast and blow inland across the Bay Area by Tuesday evening.
🚨Ridging over the Eastern Pacific will result in smoke from the wild fire outbreaks to our north to be transported south into our area through at least the middle of the week. Expect some hazy days ahead. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/Pt1v9cWZAe
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) August 4, 2026
The Bay Area Air District issued an advisory Tuesday saying, "Smoky, hazy skies may be visible, the smell of smoke is possible and air quality may become unhealthy at times on Tuesday and Wednesday."
The district added, "Conditions can change rapidly and the amount and location of smoke at ground level is hard to predict."
Residents are advised to keep windows closed and to avoid going outside if at all possible, if air quality declines.
"Residents can also reduce their exposure to smoke by setting their car vent systems to re-circulate to prevent outside air from moving inside," the district says. "If smoke is impacting your area, the use of indoor air filtration or going to a Clean Air Center or other location with filtered air, such as a library or mall, can also help reduce smoke exposure."
There are currently 35 active wildfires in Oregon, and 17 in Washington state, including three majorly destructive fires burning in and around the city of Spokane. As of Tuesday morning, those three fires alone — the Old Trails Fire, the Autumn Lane Fire, and the Fairview Fire — have burned over 10,000 acres and remain uncontained. Hundreds of homes and other structures in the Spokane area have been destroyed by the fires.
Additionally, there are 10 active fires burning across Northern California, including the recently ignited Gann Fire in Calaveras County that has burned 3,000 acres and is 0% contained as of Tuesday. The Woodside Fire in Sonoma County is now 70% contained and continues smoldering after burning 152 acres. The Feliz Fire in Mendocino, which burned over 850 acres over the weekend, is now 60% contained.
Previously: [Update] Woodside Fire Grows to 75 Acres In Western Sonoma County, Smoke Spreading East
