While the midwest is soaked and flooded, Northern California is choked with smoke. Here's a listing of today's TFRs (Temorary Flight Restrictions). All but one of the blue dots that depicts the various TFR are associated with a wildfire. From Big Sur (just south of Monterey) to Mt. Shasta, over 800 fires are burning and most are less than 40% contained.
Low winds have kept the fires from getting even larger, but the lack of wind has also created a smoke inversion layer. The visibility and air quality in the SF Bay Area has been pretty bad, but it's even worse in the Livermore and Central Valleys. As a result, flying has been a bit constrained. I did a couple of practice approaches into Concord and afterward, I felt as if I'd smoked two packs of Gauloises.
I hope these fires come under control pretty soon. Unfortunately, the forecast for this weekend is predicting dry lightning.
