California, 2018Dense Smoke in California, November 8 to 21, 2018
November 8 to 21, 2018 · NWS MTR · 12 events in 9 counties and zones
Wildfire smoke from the Camp Fire in northern California brought widespread unhealthy air quality to the Central Coast and the Bay Area through late November. A persistent upper ridge over the eastern Pacific kept conditions fairly stagnant with light offshore winds ushering in smoke to the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Wildfire smoke from the Camp Fire in northern California brought widespread unhealthy air quality to the Central Coast and the Bay Area through late November. A persistent upper ridge over the eastern Pacific kept conditions fairly stagnant with light offshore winds ushering in smoke to the area. It was not until an upper trough brought a fresh air mass and precipitation that conditions returned to normal on November 21st. The poor air quality resulted in multiple events across the region being canceled, delays at major airports, and numerous closures of schools as well as places of employment.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 8, 4:56 AM PST, 3 hours 4 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 8, 4:56 AM PST, 3 hours 4 minutes before
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</html>Dense Smoke, North Bay Interior Valleys
- When
- November 8, 8:00 AM PST to November 21, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- North Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 38.362, -122.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
EPA reported unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke.
Dense Smoke, North Bay Mountains
- When
- November 8, 8:00 AM PST to November 21, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- North Bay Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
EPA reported unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke.
Dense Smoke, Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore
- When
- November 9, 8:00 AM PST to November 21, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore forecast zone
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 38.290, -122.835 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
EPA reported unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke.
Dense Smoke, East Bay Interior Valleys
- When
- November 9, 8:00 AM PST to November 21, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- East Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 37.787, -121.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
EPA reported unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke.
Dense Smoke, East Bay Hills and the Diablo Range
- When
- November 9, 8:00 AM PST to November 21, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- East Bay Hills and the Diablo Range forecast zone
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
EPA reported unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke.
Dense Smoke, Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose
- When
- November 9, 8:00 AM PST to November 21, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Santa Clara Valley Including San Jose forecast zone
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 37.233, -121.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
EPA reported unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke.
Dense Smoke, San Francisco Bay Shoreline
- When
- November 9, 8:00 AM PST to November 21, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- San Francisco Bay Shoreline forecast zone
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 37.561, -121.980 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
EPA reported unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke.
Dense Smoke, North Bay Interior Valleys
- When
- November 9, 9:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
- Where
- North Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 38.362, -122.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Unhealthy air quality from wildfire smoke prompted closures of all Santa Rosa city and Petaluma City schools https://abc7news.com/health/poor-air-quality-triggers-dozens-of-school-closures-in-bay-area/4653739/.
Dense Smoke, North Bay Interior Valleys
- When
- November 9, 9:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- North Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 38.362, -122.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire smoke forces school closures in the North and East Bay with football games postponed https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/11/09/camp-fire-smoke-bay-area-air-quality/.
Dense Smoke, East Bay Interior Valleys
- When
- November 9, 9:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- East Bay Interior Valleys forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 37.787, -121.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire smoke forces school closures in the North and East Bay including postponing football games https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/11/09/camp-fire-smoke-bay-area-air-quality/.
Dense Smoke, Santa Cruz Mountains
- When
- November 10, 8:00 AM PST to November 21, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Santa Cruz Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 37.230, -122.021 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
EPA reported unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke.
Dense Smoke, Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast
- When
- November 11, 8:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
- Where
- Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 36.240, -121.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Poor air quality from wildfire smoke causes cancellation of Monterey Bay Half Marathon https://www.kion546.com/news/monterey-bay-half-marathon-canceled/856141506.
- Dense Smoke
- Smoke reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Wildfire in California, November 8 to 25, 201886 deaths · 12 injured · $17 billion · 1 event
- Wildfire in California, November 8 to 22, 201815 deaths · 5 events
- High Wind and Strong Wind in California, November 8 to 13, 2018$20,000 · 74 kt wind · 18 events
- Winter Weather in Kansas, November 8, 201812 events
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Hawaii, November 8 to 10, 201812 events
- Winter Weather in Kansas, November 8, 20184 events
- Flash Flooding in U.S. Virgin Islands, November 8, 20183 events
- Winter Storm in Alaska, November 8, 20182 events
- Wildfire in California, November 8 to 15, 20182 events
- High Wind in California, November 8 to 9, 201863 kt wind · 2 events
- Winter Weather in Michigan, November 8, 20181 event
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 788377, 788378, 788379, 788389, 788390, 788391, 788409, 788375, 788385, 788386, 788392, 788394.