San Francisco Bay Area Sky Turns Bright Orange, Resulting in the Eeriest Photos You’ll See

Is the apocalypse happening? The answer is no, but the skies above the San Francisco Bay Area look a little eerie at the moment. Those who live there walked outside to a bright orange sky, but apparently, it’s not as bad as it looks.

Smoke from the August Complex Fire near Mendocino National Forest is what bled into the city area; however, due to high winds, the smoke sat at a high altitude instead of settling near the surface. When the wind shifted on Wednesday morning, the dust and ash from the growing Bear Fire near Chico added to what was already lingering near and over the city. However, according to ABC7 News Meteorologist in San Francisco, Mike Nicco, says there’s a marine layer that’s keeping everyone safe from the smoke.

“The marine layer is a stable area of air that does not rise, and so we’re continually pumping in cleaner air from over the ocean,” Nicco explained. This is the reason the sky has such a dark tone to it but also why residents can’t actually smell smoke in the area when they walk outside. “The Bear Fire exploded overnight, and it’s pumping lots more ash into the air, so we have ash raining into our clean air this morning,” he added.

Typically, the marine layer will start to dissipate by the afternoon, especially towards the inland areas; however, Nicco explained that for this to happen, the sun must heat the ground, and if they’re not able to receive a lot of sunlight, then that will keep everyone from smelling the smoke. “In order for the marine layer to break, the sun has to actually heat the ground. If we don’t get much sunshine, the marine layer will keep us cleaner longer,” he said.

Because this is something residents aren’t used to seeing, several have taken to social media to share their pictures of the sky. Here are several photos Twitter users have posted in the slideshow below.

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