NBCUniversal, Inc.
NBC Bay Area’s weather and traffic cams show a live look at eerie skies blanketing the Bay Area.
A brownish-orange glow, the result of smoke and ash settling from nearby wildfires, appeared around the Bay Area Wednesday.
The thick concoction choked the air and blocked the sun in many areas, causing some neighborhoods' streetlights to stay on and authorities to urge motorists to use their headlights along roadways.
Brian Tang
Orange sky over San Pablo. (Sept. 9, 2020)
Chris Wendle
Yellowish sky in San Francisco. (Sept. 9, 2020)
Stephen Lerch
Orange sky over El Cerrito. (Sept. 9, 2020)
Alexander Nguyen
Orange sky over San Francisco. (Sept. 9, 2020)
Alexander Nguyen
Orange sky above San Francisco. (Sept. 9, 2020)
David McGinn
Orange sky over San Francisco. (Sept. 9, 2020)
Casey Kasten
Orange sky over San Francisco. (Sept. 9, 2020)
Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area
An orange sky over San Francisco. (Sept. 9, 2020)
NBC Bay Area
An orange sky above San Francisco. (Sept. 9, 2020)
NBC Bay Area
An orange sky above the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. (Sept. 9, 2020)
Terry McSweeney/NBC Bay Area
An orange sky over Sausalito. (Sept. 9, 2020)
Bigad Shaban/NBC Bay Area
Orange sky over San Francisco. (Sept. 9, 2020)
Nick White Photography
The sky has turned a yellowish color in Sausalito as fires continue to rage across California. (Sep. 9, 2020)
NBC Bay Area
A yellowish haze in the Bay Area. (Sept. 7, 2020)
NBC Bay Area
A yellowish haze in the Bay Area. (Sept. 8, 2020)
NBC Bay Area
A yellowish haze in the Bay Area. (Sept. 8, 2020)
NBC Bay Area
A yellowish haze in the Bay Area. (Sept. 8, 2020)
NBC Bay Area
A yellowish haze in the Bay Area. (Sept. 8, 2020)
NBC Bay Area
A yellowish haze in the Bay Area. (Sept. 8, 2020)
Scott Budman/NBC Bay Area
A reddish sun as seen from the Bay Area. (Sept. 8, 2020)
Meghan Quan
A reddish sun as seen from San Rafael. (Sept. 8, 2020)
NBC Bay Area
Smoky haze in the Bay Area. (Sept. 8, 2020)
Ash particles floated through the air and left residue on vehicle surfaces, rooftops and windows.
Longtime Bay Area resident Kelly Groth woke up Wednesday morning and thought her clock was wrong.
"This morning I woke up at 7 a.m. and thought my alarm was wrong because it was so dark" she said. "I didn't smell smoke but had a feeling the fires were affecting the atmosphere. I pulled back my curtains to see the sky was dark orange, and it felt so apocalyptic. I've lived in the Bay Area my whole life and never seen anything like it."
Rob Mayeda explains why blue skies recently turned orange and red.
The fast-moving wildfires surrounding the Bay Area killed three people Wednesday and carved out a 25-mile path of destruction, authorities said. Meanwhile, several other record-breaking wildfires are raging in other parts of California, Oregon and Washington.
NBC Bay Area meteorologist Rob Mayeda says the Mars-like glow is due to those tiny smoke and ash particles filtering out shorter wave-length blue light and emphasizing the longer wave-length red and orange light from the sun, similar to what is seen at sunrise and sunset.
Photos and videos of the filtered air and stained ground were circulating on social media, and some were equating the scene to waking up on the Red Planet.
Whoa. Here’s a look at our NBC Bay Area live cameras which are capturing the red orange skies across the Bay Area. Send a picture of your sky to isee@nbcbayarea.com. You may see it on our air at 5 and 6pm. pic.twitter.com/bThzpJe6In
San Francisco: 10am. Simply. Bizarre. “Smoke particles scatter blue light & only allow yellow-orange-red light to reach the surface, causing skies to look orange.” - Air Quality District (video from @LombardiHimself) @nbcbayareapic.twitter.com/HZgVFvBLbk
Mars or #Oakland? You have to see it to believe it. Even though it’s getting later in the morning, the sky seems to be getting darker & the orange glow seems more vibrant. My bf’s shoot got cancelled so he ended up taking these pics. Is this affecting your workday? @nbcbayareapic.twitter.com/oPk9xIld8R
It’s after 9AM and there’s still no sign of the sun. Heavy smoke from the wildfires is creating extremely low light conditions this morning throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Please use your vehicle’s headlights while driving and slow down due to the decreased visibility. pic.twitter.com/DctuDRqtze
Good morning from #Oakland, where the sky is an eerie orange glow. Mass of polluted air from multiple wildfires is hovering above the marine layer. There is also a visible amount of ash that has fallen over cars. What a weird Wednesday. How’s it looking where you are? @nbcbayareapic.twitter.com/oUd1xt2h92
Morning satellite view shows smoke blanketing most of the region west of the Sierra. #BearFire#NorthComplex features prominently w/ intense activity & a former pyrocumulus top drifting south above the smoke below. #CAwx#FireWxpic.twitter.com/Kg4rNaSylT
