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Smoke Call Status:  Mon - Fri at 1300 PDT (excluding holidays)
Issued: 12:30 PM   Friday, July 17, 2026
Discussion - Saturday & Sunday
Upper level ridging will persist to the east while troughing moves inland across the Pacific NW tonight & Sat. The ridge will build westward and strengthen over North Ops Sat & Sun bringing warmer and continued very dry conditions. Breezy W-SW winds will continue through the Greater Bay Area and extend across the Delta both afternoons and evenings with a gradual decrease trend in wind speeds elsewhere though locally breezy N to NW winds in the Shasta Vly vicinity both afternoons and SW to W winds from the Cascade/Sierra crest eastward Sat afternoon & evening becoming W to NW Sun. Moderate to good mixing heights will develop across inland areas both afternoons with good to excellent mixing heights favoring the N & E and lower mixing heights persisting in due to the stabilizing influence of the marine layer. 
Transport winds
Mixing Heights
(mph) (ft AGL)
Saturday Afternoon Saturday Afternoon
Saturday Night Saturday Night
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Transport winds
Mixing Heights
Sunday Afternoon Sunday Afternoon
Extended Outlook:  Monday - Wednesday
Strong upper level ridging will persist over North Ops Mon & Tue then shift just to the east Wed & Thu. A trough containing remnant tropical moisture will lift north along the coast Mon-Wed while a second wave containing monsoon moisture may additionally filter in from the SE. Currently model solutions are varied as to which of these features will have the most impact. Thunderstorm potential will spread north to the Lake Tahoe vicinity Mon afternoon with additional chances favoring the Far Eastside. Thunderstorm chances will increase in the east Tue & Wed and may expand to include the north as well. Increased cloud cover from increased mid & high level moisture will decrease mixing heights at time but overall good to excellent vertical mixing should persist during the afternoons across inland areas.
Helpful Resources:
Air Resources Board
San Joaquin Air Quality
AirNow Fire and Smoke Map
North Zone Predictive Services Weather Page
South Zone Predictive Services Weather Page
NWS California Fire Weather Page
NWS Spot Forecast Request
This Product was developed by the Predictive Services group, located at the North Zone Coordination Center in Redding, California