SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) – As smoke from the Dixie Fire blanketed the Sacramento Valley and lowered air quality Wednesday, residents are comparing the smoke to past wildfire years.

The unwelcome smoke became a respiratory issue for Jerry Wilson.

“Just hard to breathe mostly, that’s what it is,” Wilson told FOX40.

For Dasa Ion, the smoke is a reminder of summers past when smoke filled Sacramento skies for weeks on end.

“Actually I remember it a couple of years ago being worse,” Ion said.

While not long-lasting, the smoke did get dangerous for some areas.

A particulate matter map showed unhealthy air, indicated in red, and a pocket of very unhealthy air in purple.

The delta breeze pushed that unhealthy smoke further east late in the afternoon towards the El Dorado Hills area, although the smoke didn’t stick around for long.

“I think last season it was so bad because it was so constant that it just left me with headaches and other issues, but I think the way it is being right now, it’s really not as terrible as what we were used to,” said John Walberg.

Air quality experts say there is better news for the near future.

“We may seem some lingering smoke effects tomorrow but it’s definitely going to be cleaning out over the next couple of days and what it looks like right now with the delta breeze is that our weekend’s going to be clear,” said Jamie Arno, spokesperson for the Sacramento Metropolitan Air District.

Placer County officials put out an air advisory that runs through Friday and say, depending on wind conditions, it’s possible all parts of the county could be affected.