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Wildfires to cause lower air quality in Lake Tahoe region, Sierra Nevada

The view from Stateline just after 6:30 a.m. Monday, July 30.
Tahoe South

Widespread diminished air quality is expected Monday through much of the Sierra Nevada.

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a special weather statement warning about lower air quality across the region and western Nevada. The warning comes as wildfires rage across much of the West.

Widespread haze is in the forecast for the Lake Tahoe Basin through the week. South Lake Tahoe will see high temperatures in the low to mid 80s, with mostly sunny conditions.

Air quality will be worse closer to the fires, but locations throughout the Sierra will experience diminished air quality to some degree, the service warns. Urban locations can expect additional reductions to air quality each afternoon at least through Wednesday as low level ozone increases.

Air quality conditions deteriorated over the weekend in the Reno area from “unhealthy for sensitive groups” to “unhealthy.”

“Unfortunately there doesn’t appear to be much reprieve in the near term,” the service warned. “Winds do pick up a bit Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, but as smoke in western Nevada is pushed out, additional smoke from California will likely move in. This may create some windows of ‘clearer’ air, but with so much smoke currently around the region it’s hard to say.”

The deadliest fire currently burning in the U.S. is the Carr Fire near Redding. A count on Sunday showed at least 657 homes destroyed and another 145 damaged, with the fire having consumed 149 square miles. Six people have died from the fire.

Another large blaze continues to burn near Yosemite National Park.

The service recommends avoiding prolonged exposure. Plans for outdoor activities should be reconsidered. Local information on air quality can be found at http://www.airnow.gov.


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