Hi! Simone on the line with your first official Healdsburg news roundup of my new independent era. Lots of big local stories have been unfolding during this transition, so we’ve got a bunch to get through today! Stuff like:

• Why the air has been so smoky lately

• Signs of graduation season across town

• A local big-box closing and a mom-and-pop moving 

• A public apology from Healdsburg’s viral TikTok lady

• New river access points in the works, to our north and south

• More local noteworthies to sit with this weekend 🧘‍♀️

BUT FIRST, HOW’S THE WEATHER?

We’re looking at a week ahead full of sunny days in the 80s and cool nights in the 50s, with some breeziness here and there and a blanket of nice revitalizing fog on certain mornings (like this morning — so majestic). Here’s your full forecast, which I gleaned from the National Weather Service:

• Today 🌤️ Mostly sunny and breezy. High 83° Low 51°

• Tomorrow ⛅️ Clouds in the morning, turning to sun. More light wind. High 84° Low 54°

• Monday ☀️ Sunny. High 87° Low 53°

• Tuesday ☀️ Sunny again. High 84° Low 50°

• Wednesday ☀️ More sun. High 87° Low 52°

• Thursday ☀️ Same deal. High 85° Low 50°

• Friday ☀️ Same! High 83° Low 50°

You might also have noticed a fair amount of smoke in the air lately. (As one Dry Creek neighbor wrote on Nextdoor a few days ago: “I walked outside my house this morning and was hit with a face full of smoke. It seems to be coming from everywhere.”) The source of all this sky gunk? A three-day, 368-acre prescribed burn up at Lake Sonoma northwest of town, which also served as a training session for novice firefighters, according to the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District.

So that’s how local fire crews are preparing for what experts predict will be a “long peak fire season ahead,” in the words of the Press Democrat — thanks in part to low rainfall in the latter half of the 2024-25 wet season and upcoming 2025 summer weather predictions that include higher temps, more dry lightning and more strong winds than usual. On that note: Cal Fire just made it a little easier for us to prep, with a cool new online tool called Fire Planner. It helps you “create a customized wildfire preparedness plan based on your address and household needs,” including evacuation checklists and everything you need to do to “harden” your home against fire. Especially satisfying for us Capricornian types! ✅

AIR OVER HEALDSBURG

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