Friday was a picture-perfect day in America's Finest City, with the sun out and a calm, clear blue sky.
But to our north, smoke from the fires is billowing over the city of Los Angeles.
Usually, smoke from LA fires would make its way to San Diego, but so far it hasn’t.
“Currently, because of the strength of the Santa Ana, and it’s blowing offshore, it’s blowing all the smoke offshore from LA,” said Adam Canter, a meteorologist at the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District.
He said with the winds dying down Friday, some of that smoke could make its way onshore, but that shouldn't be a concern.
“A lot of that smoke is actually not at ground level," he said. "A lot of it's just up in the air. So it's also possible that it will be hazy, and it'll kind of look smoky, but it won't necessarily be down at the ground.”
Health officials say wildfire smoke is especially hazardous to young children, the elderly and people with lung conditions.
Sebastian Westerink at the National Weather Service (NWS) said the fires aren’t emitting that much smoke right now, and there's another pulse of Santa Ana winds coming this weekend and early next week.
“By the time Sunday rolls on into Monday and Tuesday, we're going to start to see those offshore winds again coming either from the north or the east, which will again blow that wildfire smoke off the coast,” he said.
Canter said all this could change if a fire breaks out. The region had a few small ones this week that were quickly put out, including one that destroyed a home in Fallbrook Friday.
But with Santa Ana winds returning next week, there’s potential for wildfires.
“But assuming there's no fires in San Diego or to our northeast, I'm expecting no real impacts, where we're going to have 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' or 'unhealthy air quality conditions,'” Canter said.
With all the offshore wind stirring up moister over the Pacific, the NWS said there’s a chance of rain next week, but it’s a small chance.
