Regional air quality advisories issued for Thursday, Friday due to wildfire smoke
Bay Area air quality worsened around Noon on Friday, as seen here looking towards San Francisco from Emeryville.
SAN FRANCISCO - The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued air quality advisories for Thursday and Friday because of wildfire smoke, but the levels of pollution are not expected to exceed federal health standards or prompt a Spare the Air alert.
The air district said Wednesday that the ongoing wildfires in Northern California are likely to cause hazy and smoky skies for the next two days, with some smoke coming to the surface at times, but the overall air quality expected to be good to moderate in the region.
The air quality advisories have come frequently in recent weeks because of wildfire smoke, and when the pollution levels have been worse, the air district has issued the Spare the Air alerts that ban wood burning both inside and outside.
If anyone smells smoke, they should try to stay inside with windows and doors closed, and should set their air conditioning and car vent systems to recirculate to stop outside air from coming inside, according to the air district.
The latest air quality readings in the region can be found online at baaqmd.gov/highs.