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The National Weather Service says smoke is expected to begin dispersing by Sunday, but especially on Monday. Courtesy of Stephen Jesse McAghon
The National Weather Service says smoke is expected to begin dispersing by Sunday, but especially on Monday. (Courtesy of Stephen Jesse McAghon)

Smoggy Conditions Will Persist Through the Weekend, Experts Say

Smoggy Conditions Will Persist Through the Weekend, Experts Say

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Most of the Bay Area can expect overcast skies and smoggy — smoke plus fog — conditions to continue through the rest of Friday and into the weekend.

The exceptions are parts of the North Bay and East Bay, where a thinning of smoke in the mid-to-upper levels of the atmosphere is letting in a bit of filtered sunshine and warmer temperatures, according to Brian Garcia, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"Smoke has dropped into the lowest levels of the atmosphere over the past 24 hours or so," Garcia said, adding that pretty much everywhere inhabited by people is being impacted by smoke.

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Layers of smoke have been wafting into the region over the past few days from nearby fires, specifically those burning north of the region, including the North Complex Fire east of Chico, the August Complex Fire in the Mendocino National Forest, and even as far as southern Oregon.

"This is an unprecedented scenario in the Bay Area," Garcia said. "We have seen worse air quality, but the duration of unhealthy air quality is something we have not seen before in recorded history around the Bay Area."

Garcia said it's important that people take the unhealthy air warnings seriously, and make sure to "take care of themselves and take care of each other."

On Tuesday and Wednesday, layers of smoke aloft, and marine layer fog below it, caused Bay Area skies to appear orange and dark. The phenomenon made news headlines across the globe.

Smoggy conditions will persist until the region sees enough wind to scour out the atmosphere, which we may not see until early next week, according to Garcia.

He said the smoke cover and lower temperatures are preventing a sea breeze we'd normally get from the Pacific Ocean.

"So we are not expecting the types of winds that we would typically get in our area today or tomorrow," Garcia said.

The National Weather Service says smoke is expected to begin dispersing by Sunday, but especially on Monday.

The several consecutive days of extremely poor air quality has local officials concerned about public health effects, and are warning residents to stay indoors.

Muir Woods, Alcatraz Island and Fort Point are among the outdoor spaces closed Friday due to poor air quality.

In response, San Francisco opened up several weather relief centers for those who cannot shelter indoors, and Muni buses are free Friday to make traveling to those sites easier.

Additionally, some COVID-19 city testing sites have been forced to close Friday afternoon due to the air quality.

At a press briefing Friday, Executive Director of San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management Mary Ellen Carroll said, "We are still in a global pandemic and testing is considered an essential activity. However, we are closing our SoMa testing site and the community mobile testing sites in Western Addition and OMI," short for Ocean View-Merced-Ingleside. Carroll added that the closures were at the request of the city's community partners.

The city is also asking residents to avoid adding additional air pollution by curtailing certain activities such as lawn mowing, leaf blowing, driving and barbecuing as well as other dust producing activities. "Avoid using hairspray or doing any painting indoors today. And if possible, utilize your stove fan if you're cooking," Carroll said.

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Outdoor dining in San Francisco is still permitted, but discouraged, according to Dr. Naveena Bobba, deputy director of health at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

The city of Santa Clara suspended curbside and walk-up library services due to poor air quality Friday, but drop boxes remain open. Some outdoor programs and facility operations have also been suspended, including at the International Swim Center and city athletic fields and skate park.

The East Bay Regional Park District hasn’t closed parks but is advising visitors to minimize or refrain from spending time outdoors.

Additionally, because of the air quality, the San Francisco office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and support centers in San Francisco, Oakland and Santa Rosa are closed Friday for in-person services.

Also closed on Friday is Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley for horse racing.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has extended its Spare the Air Alert, making it illegal to use fireplaces or any other wood-burning devices through Sept. 14.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

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