Northern California wildfires are pushing smoke into Sacramento. How bad is the air quality?

Fires are blazing through parts of Northern California, driving smoke into the Sacramento region.

The National Weather Service warned residents on X, formerly called Twitter, of poor air quality in the interior parts of the northern region as smoke from northwest California and across the Pacific Northwest spreads.

For Wednesday, the air in the Sacramento area, as well as San Francisco and Concord, is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The U.S. Air Quality Index advises people with heart or lung disease and older adults and children to protect themselves by avoiding strenuous activities and limiting outdoor activities. Also, use air filters and keep windows closed, the weather service recommends.

San Jose, parts of Fremont and lower parts of San Francisco are seeing worse conditions at “Unhealthy.” Most of Stockton and Modesto are at “Moderate” air quality.

Where is the smoke coming from?

Multiple fires are burning farther north in the state and bordering the Oregon border, including Siskiyou, Trinity and Humboldt counties.

Wind gusts are picking up in the Sacramento region, resulting in a Fire Weather Watch for Wednesday evening to Thursday afternoon. The highest threat, the service stated, is in the western edge of the Valley, mainly near Interstate 5 and the northeast foothills.

The National Weather Service is forecasting gusts as high as 15 mph Wednesday night to Thursday.

It advises people to avoid using equipment that makes sparks, avoid parking cars on dry vegetation and make sure to properly dispose matches and cigarettes.

This story was originally published September 20, 2023 at 8:58 AM with the headline "Northern California wildfires are pushing smoke into Sacramento. How bad is the air quality?."