Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District

Burn Suspension for Residential Open Burning Now in Effect. The increasing fire danger posed by dead grass and hotter, drier conditions in the region is prompting CAL FIRE to suspend all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the State Responsibility Areas (SRA) of Sonoma county. This suspension takes effect Monday May 10th, 2021 and bans all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris such as branches and leaves.... The County of Sonoma Fire Prevention Division has placed the same open burning suspension in effect within unincorporated Sonoma County or Local Responsibility Areas (LRA). Agricultural, land management, fire training, and other industrial type burning may proceed if a CAL FIRE official has inspected the area and issued a permit in the SRA or by the local fire chief in the LRA *AND* requires a valid open burn permit from the air district.

Be aware and be careful! Have a great weekend!

The Bay Area Monitor discusses the challenges of reducing wildfire fuel loads and includes a conversation with NoSoCoAir and recognition of the Biomass Business Competition (BioBiz).

Prescribed burn tomorrow - smoke and possibly fire will be visible from the City of Healdsburg and passing motorists on Hwy 101.

In other news: CSAC President James Gore Joins CA Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force Executive Committee April 15, 2021... Governor Newsom recently named CSAC President James Gore to the Executive Committee of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force. President Gore joins Cal-EPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld, Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, Office of Planning and Research Director Kate Gordon, CalFIRE Chief Thom Porter, and local representatives Mono County Supervisor Stacy Corless, Chair of the Rural County Representatives of California, and Don Hankins with the Intertribal Stewardship Project on the Executive Committee. I’m looking forward to joining California’s Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force. Having navigated Sonoma County through seven natural disasters in three years, there’s no greater focus for me than on our resilience, said CSAC President Gore. This is an opportunity to further expand my commitment and service to not just Sonoma County, but to the entire state. Let’s get to work! The California Forest Management Task Force was established in 2018 to introduce a more holistic, integrated approach toward effective forest management. The Task Force grew out of the state’s Tree Mortality Task Force, which was established during California’s recent drought in response to the massive die-off of trees across the state. Counties have been participating in these efforts for the past two years, developing recommendations that became the basis for a $1 billion budget proposal and Action Plan in this year’s January budget (more information can be found here). For more information, please contact Catherine Freeman, CSAC Legislative Representative at [email protected] or Ada Waelder, CSAC Legislative Analyst at [email protected].

The District will be participating in the County of Sonoma Climate Action & Resiliency Town Hall. We have a brief cameo! Tune-in and hear from the county and local agencies and groups working to support climate action & resiliency.

The daily Smoke & Air Quality Outlook has been revised to add Healdsburg and Cloverdale monitors (back) into the Outlook to address the impacts of the new Glass Fire. The Outlook is updated daily by a specialty-trained Air Resource Advisor. The Outlook now has interactive features that allow you to drill-down into the air quality data at each monitor site. Attached is an image of the Outlook, and the interactive page is linked from our home page: www.NoSoCoAir.net.

The Glass Fire that started this morning east of Calistoga is creating localized smoke. Calm wind this morning his hindering its dispersion, plus a recent northeast wind pattern is pushing smoke south from the Mendocino county fires down toward us. Remember to visit our home page to Check Air Quality and for the Daily Smoke and air Quality Forecast: www.NoSoCoAIr.net

Open burning is prohibited and please be extra cautious about any activity that could create an unwanted spark or flame.

A new District Smoke Advisory is available for today through Friday. Wildfire smoke from numerous wildfires is causing elevated levels of particulate pollution which will continue to bring UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS and UNHEALTHY air quality index (AQI). Near the coast and later this week, we anticipate patches of improved air quality with a MODERATE AQI. Plan to continue to take measures to protect your health, such as staying indoors to avoid exposure to smoke. The District has compiled a document of tips for consideration: Tips for Wildfire Smoke Resiliency, available on our home page: www.NoSoCoAir.net

A new District Smoke Advisory is available for today through Monday. Wildfire smoke from numerous fires inside and outside of Sonoma County is causing elevated levels of particulate pollution which will continue to bring UNHEALTHY and VERY UNHEALTHY air quality index (AQI). View District resources & the complete Advisory, including tools to check the AQI & health recommendations on our home page: www.NoSoCoAir.net

The Air Quality Index is currently in the "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy" range in our area. Please be careful and consider staying inside and avoiding unnecessary physical exertion. This poor air quality is due to a high pressure ridge off the coast preventing the dispersion of wildfire smoke. If you would like to learn more about this phenomenon, the Northern California Predictive Services has a narrated video briefing with excellent images and descriptions of this and our daily regional meteorology at https://gacc.nifc.gov//predi/weather/brief_files/brief.mp4

The District has a new Smoke Advisory prepared with resources about how to create a clean air space in your home. Also, please note that the previous daily advisories created by the Federal Air Resource Advisor (ARA) for the "Wine Country Area" is now consolidated with other areas in the "North-Central Coast-August Complex" report. The District and ARA advisories are both available on our home page: www.NoSoCoAir.net.

Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District is issuing a smoke advisory update. Heading into this Labor Day weekend, there is a significant weather change forecasted as the National Weather Service predicts an excessive heat event. Fortunately, we do not anticipate much smoke from local fires during this heat event, although other fires outside of the county continue to be active and grow, which may impact local air quality. We do not expect UNHEALTHY air quality. See the full update on our web site at www.NoSoCoAir.net. Please be cautious of the heat, check the air quality often, be COVID safe, and have a great labor day weekend!

The Daily Smoke and Air Quality Report for today (8/29-8/30) is now available and the report is now accessible as a web site that lets you drill down into the data. With the web site, daily reports are updated automatically so you always have the current report. https://fires.airfire.org/outlooks/WineCountry

Starting today, an Air Resource Advisor will be producing a daily, regional smoke report with Air Quality Index for our region. The Advisor is embedded with CAL FIRE locally and uses models and real-time monitor data to make these reports. The reports also include an air quality forecast. These reports are an excellent resource to help make healthful decisions. The reports are available on our web site & we will continue to post them here.

Calm winds are helping fire fighters, but not air quality. A Smoke Advisory for the period through Wednesday is now posted on our website: www.NoSoCoAir.net. The best tool for regional air quality and forecasts with a smartphone friendly format is AirNow. For more detailed, local air quality measurements visit AirNow-Fire & Smoke Map. Don’t forget to check the air quality often and review the AirNow/EPA AQI activity chart for recommended activity levels. These are all linked off our website home page. PLEASE STAY INDOORS & BE SAFE!

The combination of wildfire and COVID-19 is a brand-new phenomenon. Please be aware that cloth masks used to slow the spread of COVID-19 do not catch small, harmful particles in smoke that can harm your health. The best way to protect yourself is to stay indoors if possible during wildfire events. If you must remain outdoors in unhealthy air for extended periods due to work or other factors you may particularly benefit from an N-95 mask or respirator if approved by your physician. Always wear a mask or facial covering to prevent the spread of COVID when you go outside your home. KQED provides an excellent overview, and as always, please consult with your physician regarding what is appropriate for your health and situation.

** Today, changing weather conditions will add yet another challenge for our fire fighters. Please follow SoCoEmergency.org for fire and evacuation updates and be safe! ** The National Weather Service in San Francisco has issued a Red Flag Warning...which is in effect from 5 AM Sunday to 5 PM PDT Monday.... * AFFECTED AREA...Entire San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast. * THUNDERSTORMS...Isolated to scattered thunderstorms with little to no precipitation will pose a threat for new fire starts, especially late Sunday into early Monday morning. * WIND...Prevailing west to southwest winds, generally light in the morning and breezy to locally gusty in the afternoon and evening hours. However, erratic gusty outflow winds of 30 to 65 mph may accompany stronger thunderstorms. * IMPACTS...Increased likelihood for new fire starts with any lightning. Erratic gusty outflow winds may result in dangerous and unpredictable fire behavior. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now...or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.