Like a classic episode of "The Twilight Zone," Bay Area residents woke up to a sky cloaked in gloom and darkness.
Smoke from the many wildfires burning in Northern California has drifted over the region, creating a thick layer of smoke that turned the sky orange.
"Honestly, it’s like one of those nuclear winters or something you hear about. I think it was a surprise to see all the darkness this morning, you know?" said Grace, who was out walking her dog in the mid-day darkness. "And obviously California’s known for that sunshine, so to see it completely wiped out is phenomenal."
A phenomenon that she, like many others, stopped to take photos of, to share on social media and with friends and family.
A day that looks like night. Photos taken in San Francisco at about 9:45 and 11:15 this morning.#wildiresmoke #kcbsradio pic.twitter.com/CiEU6QZvCa
— Melissa Culross (@MelissaCulross) September 9, 2020Many pedestrians ventured out, masked against both the coronavirus and particulate matter hazardous to the lungs in a state of confusion.
"I just literally had to put my mask on and walk outside just to see it. It’s such a strange feeling to have it be dark in the middle of the day," said Jeff in Berkeley.
"I woke up this morning at 7 and it was dark, and then at 8 when my kids got up it was still dark and we were just trying to figure out what was happening," said Jeff.
More than one person said they thought they had forgotten to change their clocks to "fall back" for daylight savings time, before remembering it is still summer.
