Most of Sydney woke to a city blanketed in a smoky-smelling smog as the pre-summer burn-off continues in areas around the city.
The air quality index, compiled by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, declared pollution levels had hit “very poor” levels in Sydney’s south-west this morning. Sydney’s eastern suburbs air scored a “poor” rating
It advised people in these areas with heart or lung disease, older adults and children were advised to avoid exercising outdoors while the air quality remained at that level.
Guy Dixon, a meteorologist at Weatherzone, told the [Sydney Morning Herald]((http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/hazardreduction-burns-blanket-sydney-in-smoke-20161020-gs7ah0.html|target=”_blank”) a light north/north-westerly air flow on Friday morning was causing the smoke from the Ku-ring-gai chase area to drift over the Sydney basin.
Other areas where hazard-reduction burning was occurring included Clifton Gardens in inner-city Mosman, Loftus in Sydney’s south and Norah Head on the Central Coast.
But he predicted this afternoon’s weather patterns will ease the situation.
“A sea breeze will develop later this afternoon, after lunch time, and this will help the smoke to clear. Being a coastal location, it shouldn’t take much to disperse the smoke,” he said.
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