Smoke from Oak Fire now in Sierra, foothills and Sacramento Valley
NYACK - Smoke from the Oak Fire permeates far beyond Mariposa County.
While winds appeared calm Sunday, the unrelenting fire added more fuel to the haze.
"This fire was burning was burning particularly hot the last couple of days and almost creating its own winds," said Emily Heller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Off Interstate 80 in Nyack, travelers hoped for clearer skies.
Alex Trushin planned a getaway trip to the Bay Area over the weekend where haze filled the air near Oakland, he said. The Nevada resident knows the haze will be waiting for him also at his Reno home.
Lake Tahoe residents said they saw the smoke rolling in during the morning, but the lake was still visible.
A satellite view from the National Weather Service shows the scope of smoke, with affected areas including the northern Sierra Nevada, the Mother Lode foothills, and the northern Sacramento Valley.
In Placer County, an advisory is in effect through Tuesday to warn about possible poor air quality conditions.
It was starting to get heavier to breathe, said Melissa Faries, who was heading to Sacramento.
"At the rest stop where we were at there's a sign on the interstate you could see when we got there. And by the time we got to leave, about 20 to 30 minutes later, you could barely see the sign," she said.
