Strong northeast winds are currently impacting the area affected by the Mountain Fire, with wind gusts ranging from 30 to 50 mph, as reported by the National Weather Service. These winds are expected to gradually decrease throughout the afternoon, although gusts of 25 to 35 mph may still occur into the early evening hours.
As we move into the evening, the winds are forecasted to weaken significantly and become relatively light overnight. However, there is a possibility of a brief shift in wind direction from the northeast to the west, which could have implications for the spread of the fire. Such shifts could lead to the dispersion of burning embers into new areas and alter the trajectory of thick smoke from the fire.
Since the inception of the Mountain Fire on Wednesday morning, the prevailing winds have carried the smoke predominantly away from land and out to sea. Nevertheless, there is a concern that hazardous smoke may start affecting more densely populated regions and substantially deteriorate air quality over the upcoming weekend, particularly as the wind direction is anticipated to shift towards the southwest.
