SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The sky over the Bay Area looked apocalyptic once again Wednesday morning, even though air quality in San Francisco, the Peninsula, South Bay, North Bay and much of the East Bay was relatively good.

On Tuesday, we had the wind to blame for those smoky skies -- and lack of a smoky smell. The smoke was coming in from the August Complex Fire near Mendocino National Forest, but high winds were keeping the smoke at a high altitude, instead of settling near the surface.

On Wednesday morning, the wind shifted, now bringing ash from the rapidly growing Bear Fire near Chico down over the Bay Area. But at the same time, there's a marine layer that's protecting us, explains ABC7 News Meteorologist Mike Nicco.

"The marine layer is a stable area of air that does not rise, and so we're continually pumping in cleaner air from over the ocean," explains Nicco.

That's why the sky is so dark, with a yellow or orange hue, but you may not smell smoke when you step outside.