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[Syriel]

Holy crap. That smoke amps up. Is there general advisory to stay indoors?

Yes.

Basically stay inside and don't do anything strenuous if you do have to go outside.

If you have one, wear a mask if you have to go out.

Who cares about looking silly? It is a very real health issue.

Remember, these aren't "just" forest fires. Homes, cars, industrial equipment, chemicals, etc. has all burned and been thrown up into the atmosphere. No way to know what you're breathing in when entire neighborhoods of homes, stores, and industry have been burnt down to the literal foundations.

 

[wenis]

My asthma is acting up just thinking about it. Can't imagine how folks are dealing

my asthma is wrecked because of these fires. waking up sucks in the morning because im hacking up my lungs. bleh.

 

[hateradio]

It's really bad.

Check this out, and click "loop previous day." When it gets to about 7:00 or 8:00AM, you'll see what's up (SF is the peninsula in the middle).

http://fog.today

Crazy. I'm going to SF tomorrow night, but I'll be indoors most of the time.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

It almost looked this bad Monday morning at the ferry terminal when I was heading to work. Not quite that bad visibility wise, but it looked like a foggy day. It was clear aside from the smoke from the wildfires.

 

[Salmonax]

Holy crap. That smoke amps up. Is there general advisory to stay indoors?

Generally, yeah. But it fluctuates depending on winds. Yesterday wasn’t that bad and today was awful, but it’s improved in the evening. Supposed to stay pretty bad through the weekend overall.

This is the site to watch:
https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&zipcode=94111

AQI now on the right is the key number.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

I live in Texas, but you all have one hell of an ally in this fight with CalFire

The main issue is that CalFire is overstretched due to the sheer number of fires across the state, and overworked/exhausted. The winds the past week haven't helped either, the fires have been moving too fast for any real containment efforts. The fires started Sunday night and just one has reached 10% containment.

These maps should give a sense of how much is affected:

Here's the latest numbers (from the wildfire thread):

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Northern-California-16-wildfires-containment-12264391.php

TUBBS FIRE (updated 12:26 p.m. Thursday)

Napa County
Located off of Hwy 128 and Bennett Ln. in Calistoga
34,770 acres
10 percent contained
15 people have been killed
2,834 structures destroyed
16,000 structures threatened

NUNS and NORRBUM FIRES (Part of the Southern LNU Complex, two fires have merged) (updated 9:09 a.m. Thursday)

Sonoma County
Located off Hwy 12, north of Glen Ellen, east of Boyes Hot Springs
14,698 acres
3 percent contained

PARTRICK FIRE (Part of the Southern LNU Complex) (updated 3:34 p.m. Thursday)

Napa County
Located off Patrick Rd, west of Napa
10,817 acres
2 percent contained
5,000 structures threatened

POCKET FIRE (Central LNU Complex) (updated 3:00 p.m. Thursday)

Sonoma County
Located off Pocket Ranch Rd and Ridge Ranch Rd, Geyserville
8,130 acres
0 percent contained
16,000 structures threatened

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Today's air quality forecast:

https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=317

Updates from overnight:

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Live-updates-Death-toll-climbs-to-29-in-Northern-12274332.php

5:30 a.m. Winds pose biggest threat for Napa County fire zone: Continued gusty winds, low humidity and higher temperatures threaten to exacerbate already extreme fire conditions in wildfire zones, the National Weather Service warned ahead of a new batch of Red Flag warnings for the North Bay mountains, East Bay hills and Diablo Range.

Expected north to northeast winds of 20 mph could kick up 60 mph gusts at the highest peaks, according to forecasters. The strongest winds forecast for Friday will be in Napa County, where the monster Atlas Fire encroaching on Solano County has burned 43,762 acres and is just 7 percent contained. The deadliest of the fires, Sonoma County's 34,770-acre Tubbs fire, has also burned through a part of Napa County.

”I would keep my eye on Napa Valley," said Drew Peterson, a meteorologist with the weather service. ”That's where the most critical fire weather danger is."

In Sonoma County, Santa Rosa could be threatened by warm, dry Chinook winds — caused when a sloping air mass that travels downhill becomes warm and compressed — which could lead to increased wind speeds. Such winds were a driving factor for fanning flames and rapid growth throughout the wildfires, Peterson said.

The weather service also issued a wind advisory for the North Bay and East Bay hills as winds may topple trees and down power lines.

”It's just going to be all-around poor conditions for fire weather," Peterson said Friday. ”The good news is after this event it looks like the conditions are going to be improving through the area, as far as fire weather goes. The winds are going to be subsiding after Saturday."

7:30 a.m. Deadliest of Northern California wildfires now 25 percent contained: The 34,770-acre Tubbs Fire, which devastated Sonoma County and spread to parts of Napa County was 25 percent contained Friday morning, according to Cal Fire officials. At least 17 people in Sonoma County died in the Tubbs Fire, accounting for more than half of the current death toll of 31. When a fire is contained, it means firefighters have installed control line to prevent the wildfire from spreading.

7:45 a.m. Wildfire devastating Napa County grows more than 4,000 acres overnight: The Atlas Fire burning through Napa County and spreading to Solano County reached 48,228 acres Friday morning, blackening more than 4,000 acres overnight, according to Cal Fire officials. The wildfire is now 27 percent contained — a large jump from just 3 percent on Thursday. As containment increases, that means firefighters have set up a control line along the wildfire to stop flames from spreading. At the same time, meteorologists with the National Weather Service warn gusty winds pose the greatest threat for the Napa County wildfire zone Friday. A Red Flag warning starting at 5 p.m. forecasts dry winds at high elevations that threaten to fan the fire's growth in the North Bay hills.