Air quality around San Francisco Bay Area expected to deteriorate in coming days

Mrunalini Kulkarni photographed the smog seen in Oakland on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017. Mrunalini Kulkarni photographed the smog seen in Oakland on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017. Photo: Courtesy Of Mrunalini Kulkarni Photo: Courtesy Of Mrunalini Kulkarni Image 1 of / 92 Caption Close Air quality around San Francisco Bay Area expected to deteriorate in coming days 1 / 92 Back to Gallery

Many folks in the Central and South Bay Area got a break from the thick smoky air Wednesday morning as a sea breeze blowing through the Golden Gate pushed the sooty haze inland to the Central Valley.

The clean air didn't last long in some places as winds shifted, spreading wood smoke generated from multiple wildfires around Northern California into pockets of the Bay Area.

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Air quality levels returned to "unhealthy" in the East Bay and "unhealthy for sensitive" groups in San Francisco and the Peninsula, according to readings of the amount of particulate matter in the air.

"It's going to be that way for several days," says Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Bay Area post. "As we get little increases in winds, the smoke will shift."

The smoky conditions around the Bay are forecast to worsen Thursday, Friday and Saturday as the winds kick up Wednesday night blowing the smoke south. The winds are expected to mellow Thursday and Friday, and the smoke will likely settle.

"This Friday and Saturday could be difficult in terms of air quality," says Tom Flannigan, the public information officer for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

"We're going to see a really strong settling of the smoke in the Bay Area on Friday and Saturday," adds Brian Garcia, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Bay Area office. "Not to mince words. It's going to be really bad. It's not going to be fun."

Photo: AirNow.gov Air quality levels around the Bay Area on Oct. 11, 2017, at 1 p.m.

With a flurry of raging infernos to the north, the Bay Area has been choking on wood smoke since Monday after fires broke out Sunday night as high winds spread flames.

"We're seeing the worst air quality ever recorded in many parts of the Bay Area," Flannigan told SFGATE on Tuesday. "The entire Bay Area population is likely being affected by the smoke."

The worst conditions were recorded near the heart of the Wine Country wildfires in the North Bay, where air quality reached hazardous levels Monday and again Tuesday morning. This means the amount of particulate matter in the air is at its highest.

"Up in the Napa area and even up in San Rafael, basically all of the North Bay, is experiencing the highest readings we've ever observed," Flannigan says.

The air quality can change dramatically by the hour and he says to go to AirNow.gov for the most up to date readings.

"We're back to that line that air quality is expected to be variable and changing as we continue to have light and changing winds," Flannigan says. "We're going to continue to monitor it and tell people to reduce smoke exposure by moving indoors."

San Francisco hospitals are beginning to see the impact of the smoke on the local population.

Rachael Kagan, the public information officer with the S.F. Department of Public Health says on Wednesday two hospitals reported three or four patients each coming to their emergency rooms with respiratory issues that was likely related to the smoke.

"That's less than 10 total citywide," Kagan says.