The Bay Area has broken the previous record for the most Spare the Air alerts issued in a year — and new records will continue to be set, as the air district extended an alert to Tuesday.
That will mark alerts for a total of 51 days this year, compared to the previous record of 46 days in 2017, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
“We’re only in October and we’ve already had a lot,” said spokeswoman Erin DeMerritt. “We’re still in the midst of wildfire season, so we could likely see several more.”
Smoke from the August Complex and Red Salmon Complex fires triggered the latest alert, which bans wood burning and encourages residents to stay indoors. The alert presages dry, warming weather and clear skies that will settle in for this weekend and into next week, with stronger offshore winds that could challenge firefighters and create conditions that could lead to more blazes, the National Weather Service said.
The winds and warmth will “definitely elevate the idea of fire concerns” in the Bay Area, meteorologist David King said.
Highs on Saturday were in the 60s in San Francisco, San Rafael and Santa Rosa, and in the 70s in Oakland, Lafayette, Walnut Creek and San Jose. Those temperatures were expected to increase by 10 degrees or more on Sunday and into next week as a high pressure area prepared to settle over the area.
On Saturday morning, a light drizzle fell briefly in the North Bay but King said there was no measurable rainfall and no additional precipitation was expected in coming days.
Air quality was good throughout the Bay Area on Saturday morning, except in parts of the North Bay, where it was unhealthy for sensitive persons. The areas of good air were expected to decline to “moderate” status throughout the Bay Area on Sunday and into the week, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said.
A Spare the Air alert was in effect for Saturday through Tuesday, with unnecessary driving discouraged. The growing winds were expected to result in small craft advisories off the Golden Gate on Sunday, the Weather Service said.
The Glass Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties had burned 67,484 acres as of Saturday morning , with 82% containment. Firefighters “experienced minimal fire behavior throughout the night,” Cal Fire said.
The Creek Fire in Fresno and Madera counties had burned 333,8880 acres as of Saturday morning, with 49% containment. Boat owners were being instructed to remove their vessels from the Huntington Lake reservoir, where authorities plan to lower the water level.
Firefighters continued to make good progress on the Zogg Fire in Shasta County, reporting that blaze to be 95% contained as of Saturday morning. Crews “continued to strengthen and maintain lines,” Cal Fire said.
Chronicle staff writer Mallory Moench contributed to this report.
Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF
The Link LonkOctober 11, 2020 at 07:54AM
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Dry-mild-weather-for-Bay-Area-with-temperatures-15636216.php
Bay Area smashes record for Spare the Air alerts, and fire season is far from over - San Francisco Chronicle
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