Smoke to remain in Bay Area Monday, but wind and rain will bring relief this week

Thick fog and wildfire smoke will combine for another hazy day Monday in the North Bay, but relief is at hand with a shift in the wind starting to blow smoke out of the Bay Area on Tuesday followed by rain Wednesday morning.

Persistent rain, heavy at times, could total up to three inches by Saturday in the North Bay, National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Anderson said.

“Something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving,” he said.

On Sunday, a thick gray pall of smoke from Camp fire in Butte County shrouded Santa Rosa, prompting calls to emergency dispatchers, who gave assurance there were no new wildfires.

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The same conditions are expected Monday, with the Bay Air Quality Management District predicting unhealthy air in Sonoma County. Children, adults and people with respiratory disease such as asthma should avoid or limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

Smoke impacts are expected to ease Tuesday as firefighters increase containment of the Camp fire, said Sarah Zahedi, an air district spokeswoman.

The fire, now the most deadly and damaging in state history, was 60 percent contained on Sunday, with full containment expected Nov. 30.

Winds from the south and southwest are expected to pick up Tuesday morning and begin pushing smoke out of the Bay Area, Anderson said. But it will take time since the winds will first sweep smoke in from over the ocean, he said.

Northerly winds have been bringing smoke more than 100 miles into the region since the fire started, Anderson said.

A cold front coming down from the Gulf of Alaska will bring rain early Wednesday, starting in the North Bay and spreading across the Bay Area, he said.

Rain may impact the Wednesday morning commute, and holiday travelers can expect snow at Donner Summit on Interstate 80 in the Sierra Nevada.

A winter Spare the Air Alert, banning outdoor wood burning and use of wood-burning stoves, will remain in effect through Tuesday.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 707-521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @guykovner.