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Santa Clara blaze leaves lake in haze

Jeff Munson

Wildfires burning in Santa Clara County are the cause of a smoky haze over the Lake Tahoe Basin, which was noticeable at the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on Thursday.

Smoke from the fire, which has burned more than 24,000 acres as of late Thursday, is on the same jetstream pattern that goes over Lake Tahoe, making for the less than crystal conditions, air officials said.

The good news is the warm air has lifted the smoke high enough into the atmosphere that it hasn’t hit the basin floor. It is likely to remain that way over the weekend as temperatures are expected to soar in the Reno and Tahoe areas, said Andy Goodrich, division director of Washoe County’s Air Quality Management.



“Fortunately it is not impacting us other than the visibility,” Goodrich said.

But that could change if night time temperatures drop and the atmosphere cools done after the warm days ahead, he added.



“If that happens and the wind is right, the smoke could settle in and float down” into Tahoe, Reno and Carson Valley, he said. “We are watching it closely.”

Meanwhile, conditions at Lake Tahoe over the weekend will be quite warm, with highs temperatures ranging from 89 to 92 for the basin, according to the National Weather Service.

Winds will be between 10 to 15 mph each day, with a chance of thundershowers on Sunday. Highs in Carson City and Carson Valley will be around 100 degrees.


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