Storm clears smoke from the air in time for long Thanksgiving weekend in Sonoma County

Southerly winds on Wednesday blew away the smoke and ash that’s cloaked the region, leaving Sonoma County with healthy air quality for the first time in two weeks.

The winds and accompanying rain continuing today and Friday, combined with another storm that will bring more rain next week, are expected to keep away the polluted air from the Camp fire still burning 100 miles away in Butte County, said Steve Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“The winds are reversed, so it’s blowing all the smoke to the fire,” Anderson said Wednesday. “Another series of storms are on the horizon for the middle and latter part of next week.”

Air quality levels in Windsor, Santa Rosa and Petaluma all measured within the “satisfactory” range of zero to 50 on Wednesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality index. Air quality levels are measured on a scale of zero to more than 500, with readings above 200 signifying significant pollution posing health risks to everyone. Readings of 50 or below mean there’s little to no risk of pollution in the air.

Air quality levels in northwest Santa Rosa, Cotati and Petaluma were rated at 4 on Wednesday, much lower than the levels in Sonoma County on Nov. 9, a day after the most destructive and deadly wildfire in California history tore through the Butte County town of Paradise. That day Healdsburg registered “very unhealthy” air quality as high as 405, while east Santa Rosa and Sebastopol levels measured 265 and 220, respectively.

Despite clean air returning Wednesday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District kept in place for the day a Spare the Air alert banning wood burning in both residential fireplaces and outdoor fire pits. No alert was issued for today, but the agency hopes people will keep refraining from burning wood on the Thanksgiving holiday, said Kristine Roselius, a spokeswoman for the district.

“We want this clean air to come in and have people be able to enjoy that,” Roselius said.

The storm Wednesday started the Northern California rainy season and was the first rainfall in Sonoma County since Oct. 1, when more than an inch of rain was recorded in downtown Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Cloverdale and other parts of the county.

With more rain in the local forecast, authorities are urging motorists planning to be on the road today and Friday as shoppers swarm area stores to drive carefully because the county’s roads and highways are expected to remain slick.

Santa Rosa’s CHP beefed up to the maximum number of officers working at 6 p.m. Wednesday and will keep that staffing level through Sunday, a popular day for people to return home from the long holiday weekend, CHP Sgt. Allan Capurro said. Officers will be on the lookout throughout the extended weekend for people driving too fast or driving under the influence of alcohol, he said.

After the rain began overnight into Wednesday morning, the local roads were wet and slick for the commute to work, resulting in a spate of accidents. Santa Rosa CHP officers responded to several collisions, including at least five that required an ambulance between 7 a.m. and 8:40 a.m., CHP incident data showed. No one was seriously injured, though, during the morning commute, Capurro said.

We had multiple crashes, “exponentially more than we usually have,” he said. “The rain is obviously challenging our drivers a little bit.”

One Wednesday crash at 8:38 a.m. involved a driver whose car rolled over into a ditch while she drove on Old Adobe Road near Petaluma’s Casa Grande Road.

The woman, who was driving west toward East Washington Street, crossed over the road’s double yellow lines to pass a car in front of her and lost control of her Chevy Equinox as she drove back to the westbound lane, Rancho Adobe Fire District Capt. Tim Caldwell said.

Fire engines from the Rancho Adobe department, as well as an ambulance and engine from Petaluma Fire, responded to that crash.

The unidentified driver, who was wearing a seatbelt got herself out of the car, declined to be transported to a local hospital. Her vehicle was left sitting on its roof.

“She got really lucky,” Caldwell said. “She was close to hitting a guardrail.”

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nashellytweets.