Citing an unhealthy air forecast and higher than normal temperatures, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has declared Tuesday the 8th Spare the Air day this year. That said, officials have lots of warnings and advice for you to follow.
The San Francisco Bay Area is expected to be sunny today. High temperatures in the mid 80s to lower 90s on the coast and mid 90s to lower 100s inland. Yes summer has arrived.
Officials from the district say the air throughout the Bay Area will be unhealthy to breathe, but particularly dangerous in the Santa Clara Valley and the East Bay. Active children and adults along with those that have respiratory diseases are advised to limit outdoor exertion. So while you are advised to ride your bike instead of driving, you might want to consider taking your bike onto public transportation.
Experts urge homeowners avoid doing yard work today because of the exhaust from lawn mowers and other landscaping eauipment. Also, don't light up that grill tonight, the air could use a break from that as well.
While Bay Area transit agencies will not be offering free rides on this spare the air day, you might be able to get a week of free rides on public transit. That’s if you live in Contra Costa County and meet a list of requirements. 511 Contra Costa County is offering $64 BART passes to those who live or work in Contra Costa County. The pass is good for about a week of free commuting, and even works on buses which might come in handy in the event of a BART strike.
Those living in inland areas like the East Bay, where temperatures are expected to hit close to 100 degrees, are advised to stay indoors to avoid heat stroke and exhaustion. Organizations throughout the Bay Area will open their doors as “Cooling Centers”. The Pinole Senior Center is just one of the locations that will be open to the public, serving ice water and light refreshments while offering television for entertainment. PG&E offers a complete list of cooling centers including a searchable map on their web site.
If you wish to avoid the crowds on public transportation or in cooling centers and decide to stay home, then officials ask that you set your air conditioning to 78 degrees and avoid heavy power consumption during the day. Experts also advise against using aerosol cleaning and beauty products to improve air quality indoors and to prevent contributing to ozone distruction.
