A smoke layer from ongoing wildfires in California made its way to north San Diego County late Thursday afternoon and into the evening.

The National Weather Service San Diego office posted informal notices on Twitter earlier Thursday as forecasters observed the layer moving south.

“A change in the weather pattern will lead to northerly winds aloft that will bring in smoke from the Central CA wildfires down into SoCal,” the Weather Service stated in a tweet Thursday morning. “Those smoky and hazy skies will come into the picture today into Friday, especially for our northern areas.”

The sun turned hazy red by sunset and the smoke layer was noticeable to the coast as far as Encinitas, Solana Beach and other communities.

The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District predicted “less favorable” air quality conditions for Friday in the good to moderate range.

North of San Diego County, however, the South Coast Air Quality Management District — which covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties— issued a Special Air Quality Advisory for its coverage area.

“To help keep indoor air clean during periods of poor air quality, close all windows and doors and run
your air conditioner and/or an air purifier,” the district advised. “If possible, do not use whole house fans or swamp coolers that bring in outside air.”

The Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District also issued a smoke advisory for its region.

“The smoke is traveling from massive wildfires burning in and around Sequoia National Park,” the Mojave district stated in its advisory. “The KNP Complex and Windy fires are producing significant amounts of smoke that’s pushing south.”

Mojave reported that the smoke level was lowering by Thursday afternoon.

“The smoke remained aloft — higher than ground-level ambient air — until Thursday afternoon when regulated monitors and low-cost sensors began showing a measurable increase in … the pollutant found in wildfire smoke,” the Mojave district stated.

The smoke was predicted to hover in the region through Friday.

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