Life On Mars (Updated)

Arcata Plaza Wednesday a.m. Photo from Lost Coast Outpost
By afternoon it was actually darker than this.

Update Thurs. night:  Hereabouts we had a pale yellow day but that really wasn't better because the smoke was closer to the ground and the air quality much worse.

Forecasters can't predict what's next, partly because the fires continue spewing smoke, but without much wind--yesterday (Wed.) especially was dead still--the smoke hangs around, though we are getting our fog drifting in as well.  What forecasters can say is that they expect prevailing winds to change early next week, probably sweeping out the smoke and bringing in moisture, which might even mean some light rain in the fire areas--very welcome news.  In any case, the smoke is suppressing temperatures, which may help limit new fires and allow firefighters to concentrate on existing ones.

Some of the big fires were said to grow at a slower rate today, but there are so many that firefighters can't keep track of all of them.  Oregon is hard hit, with 10% of the population under some kind of evacuation order.

Wednesday:
The smoke stayed, got thicker and darker.  It was pretty much the same from well south of San Francisco up into Oregon.  The brownish yellow world of Tuesday became the dark orange/red landscape of Mars Wednesday.  It was dark all day, with  cars using their headlights.  Forecast is for another day of this, at least.

San Francisco Wednesday.  Photo from the Atlantic.

I listen to a classical music station from Ashland, Oregon (among others), and a number of small towns have been either wiped out or suffered extensive damage near there.  More than 30 fires across that state.  California has seen more than a 2000% increase in the number of acres burned so far this summer than last summer, and there are still weeks to go in our fire season.  One fire from the south has reached into Humboldt County, and evacuations have been ordered just an hour's drive from us. Evacuees are being sheltered in Ferndale and Eureka to our south.

Fisherman statue Eureka overlooking Humboldt Bay
Wednesday.  Lost Coast Outpost photo.

The good news for us: because the dense smoke is still so high, the air remains not so toxic, within the Moderate range.  I wouldn't like to be walking the dog too many days in a row in it, but so far it's just uncomfortable to the sinuses.  I joked before I took Howdy out today that if only we had something like a mask.  It turns out most of our covid masks aren't much good for this kind of air pollution, but we do have a few of the kind that are, thanks to Margaret's collection.

 Another good thing: Rt. 101, our lifeline, is open again to the south, though that may be subject to change.   And that idiot shooting off fireworks nearby last night was arrested!