Strong offshore winds should help momentarily improve air quality in the Bay Area on Tuesday, according to forecasts by the National Weather Service.
Air quality monitors are showing “moderate” levels of pollution in multiple Bay Area communities, caused by PM2.5, or microscopic particles found in smoke and dust. Higher levels of PM2.5 have been blown in with the smoke from the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County and other smaller fires that have flared recently.
Pollution readings should improve temporarily, however, when the winds ramp up.
“When those north east winds pick up, what’s [going to] happen is the smoke will be blown out across the central Sonoma County out over the ocean,” said Dwayne Dykema, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey. “So some areas, especially the eastern part of the Bay Area, will probably actually see an improvement in air quality today initially, when these strong winds pick up.”
The relief may only be temporary, as weather predicted to roll in after the winds is expected to blow smoke back across the cleared areas.
“By tomorrow midday and especially tomorrow afternoon when the winds lighten up again, we’ll start to see the smoke drift over a broader area and air quality will then decrease over much of the area,” said Dykema.
