Wildfire smoke: Bay Area sees longest stretch of Spare the Air days in region's history

KGO logo
Friday, September 11, 2020
Wildfire smoke: Bay Area sees historic string of Spare the Air days
As wildfires continue to burn across California, the Bay Area sees its longest string of Spare the Air days in a row.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The San Francisco skyline has been encased in gray, the East Shore freeway almost invisible though the haze, and only a few miles of visibility from San Francisco International Airport - This has become yet another new "normal."

LIVE: Track air quality levels impacted by smoke from wildfires

Satellite images show a blanket of smoke covering most of California, as the Bay Area sees its longest string of Spare the Air days in a row.

Friday marks the 26th consecutive alert for Spare the Air. Friday, which was also supposed to be the day for now canceled 9/11 commemorative events.

VIDEO: NOAA Satellite images show thick smoke drifting from Oregon into San Francisco Bay Area

Incredible new satellite images show thick wildfire smoke moving across California and through the Bay Area over a two day period.

The bad air has also canceled a COVID-19 testing event this weekend, as children and people with respiratory diseases are told to avoid all physical activity outdoors.

Doctors say inhaling wildfire smoke can cause throat and eye irritation, coughing, shortness of breath and more.

Side-by-side comparisons show just how bad it is - In the video at the top of this post you can see the transformation from the pumpkin-orange we saw Wednesday, to smoky gray we got today.

You can check our web page with official Spare the Air updates to see if an alert is in effect.

App users: For a better experience, click here to view the full map in a new window

RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS: