'Worst day in the forecast': Bay Area getting hit with smoke, heat, dangerous winds
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Bay Area is dealing is with the "worst day" in the seven-day forecast Thursday, said ABC7 News meteorologist Mike Nicco.
LIVE: Track Bay Area air quality levels
"That is not fog -- that is is smoke, that is haze. That is how disgusting the air is this morning," said Nicco.
The Bay Area woke up Thursday to a thick layer of wildfire smoke from the Glass Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties and the Dolan Fire in Monterey County.
"We have a confluence of just about everything that is bad," said Nicco. "The Red Flag Warning was expanded this morning to include the East Bay Hills, the Diablo Range and the Santa Cruz Mountains."
The Red Flag Warning, which starts at 1 p.m. Thursday and goes through 6 a.m. Saturday, also includes the North Bay where the Glass Fire is burning.
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"We are talking about 29 hours of critical fire conditions," said Nicco. "We are going to have gusty winds blowing from northwest to southeast, so if you are south of they Dolan or Glass fires -- we could have an issue with ember relocation and starting new fires," warned Nicco.
VIDEO: East Bay residents prepare to evacuate amid Red Flag Warning
Berkeley Hills residents were warned to have a go-bag ready in case a fire sparks and they need to evacuate.
"It's particularly important I think because the landscape, the weather, proximity of homes and all that," said long-time resident Tom Hutcherson. "Because the streets are so narrow, getting a firetruck through is problematic."
The region is also facing a heat advisory through 8 p.m. Friday with record highs that "will make you wilt," said Nicco.
Some inland neighborhoods will top triple-digits Thursday, including 104 in Livermore and Fairfield, 102 in Santa Rosa, Concord, Antioch and Morgan Hill, 98 in San Jose and San Rafael, 95 in Oakland and 90 in San Francisco.
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The triple-digit heat is also prompting a statewide Flex Alert for Californians to voluntarily turn off their lights and help conserve electricity from 3 to 10 p.m.
Heat relief could be coming Saturday and the smoke could go away on Sunday, but for now Nicco says people will be breathing "unhealthy air in Napa, Livermore, Fremont, Redwood City and San Jose."
A Spare the Air Alert was extended through Tuesday, Oct. 6.
"There are some hints in the smoke forecast that it could linger through the weekend," said Nicco. "So please be careful."
FIRE TRACKER: Track wildfires across San Francisco Bay Area, other parts of California with this interactive map
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