California (November 20, 2018): The sidewalk cafes of this Silicon Valley city, usually packed at lunchtime with workers from Google and other high-tech companies, were mostly abandoned Monday afternoon.
A few people, some wearing facemasks, rushed past and ducked inside stores, avoiding the acrid, smoky air outside. Though the deadly wildfires around Paradise are about 150 miles (240 kilometers) to the northeast, the San Francisco Bay area has been blanketed with a thick layer of haze for days.
San Francisco reported unhealthy air quality for the 12th straight day on Monday. Purple Air, a private company that monitors air quality worldwide, last week ranked Northern California as having the foulest air around the globe.
Weather forecasters promised improvement when rain arrives on Wednesday.
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