Smoky air conditions
Rain is in the forecast for next week, meaning smoky air conditions in the Bay Area may be alleviated soon.
Commuters board a northbound train at the San Mateo Caltrain station during a Friday morning commute.
- Andrea K Laue
Daniel Brent, 17, and Martin Cervantes, 18, wearing masks on the job in downtown San Mateo. Century Theaters provided masks to employees who requested them.
Commuters wearing masks board a northbound train at the San Mateo Caltrain station during the Friday morning commute.
- Andrea K Laue
Commuters wearing masks board a northbound train at the San Mateo Caltrain station during the Friday morning commute.
- Andrea K Laue
Chris Liu, 42, waits with his folding bike for a southbound train at the San Mateo Caltrain station on Friday morning. He purchased his N95 mask online and has worn it several days this week.
- Andrea K Laue
Chris Liu, 42, waits with his folding bike for a southbound train at the San Mateo Caltrain station on Friday morning. He purchased his N95 mask online and has worn it several days this week.
- Andrea K Laue
A mother snaps a photo of her son as they wait for the train during the Friday commute.
Rain is in the forecast for next week, meaning smoky air conditions in the Bay Area may be alleviated soon, National Weather Service officials said Friday.
The storms are expected to start Wednesday, and with them will come shifting winds that should push smoke north into Nevada and Idaho instead of south to the Bay Area, forecaster Steve Anderson said.
That will be a huge relief for residents here, who have been dealing with worsening air quality for days.
The storms should also help firefighters tamp down the Camp Fire, the deadly blaze that continues to burn in Butte County. The fire had charred 142,000 acres and was 45 percent contained as of Friday morning.
The first rainstorm is expected to move through the North Bay first on Wednesday and then will move on to the rest of the Bay Area. A second storm on Friday should drench most of the area. And a third storm is possible over the weekend.
A number of events have been canceled throughout the Bay Area and most schools had classes canceled Friday.
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Event cancelations include a tenant rights protest originally scheduled for this afternoon in Concord, a Habitat for Humanity event originally scheduled for Saturday morning in East Palo Alto, the Brentwood Holiday Parade originally scheduled for Saturday evening and the opening of the San Mateo ice rink at Central Park scheduled for Sunday evening.
Officials are urging residents to stay indoors through the weekend but masks can be used for protection from the air. Still, San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Tomas Aragon said, “Masks are no substitute for staying indoors.”
However, he said if outdoor activities are a must, masks should be fixed tight to the face.
In response to the ongoing fire impact, restrictions on wood burning in the Bay Area have been extended through Tuesday next week, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Air quality in the Bay Area has been very poor because of smoke blowing south from the Camp Fire, a record-breaking wildfire that ignited in Butte County about a week ago.
Officials hope that the wood-burning ban will help the air quality. Smoke from wood fires is linked to asthma, bronchitis and lung disease, and children and the elderly are more at risk to harm from the smoke. The ban includes wood or other fuels burning in fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits and other wood-burning devices.
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