LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Air Quality Management District said wildland fires burning in the county have resulted in degraded air quality, with the district issuing a Monday morning alert.
Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart said the Wye, Walker, and Hopland Grade fires – combined with weather patterns – have led to smoke, haze and poor air quality in Lake County’s air basin.
So far, values have not exceeded state health-based particulate standards for small respirable particulate and ozone (photochemical smog), Gearhart said.
However, the prediction for Monday given forecasted wind conditions and levels of particulate and ozone presently in the air, is that air quality for Lake County will be “unhealthy for sensitive individuals” to “unhealthy for everyone.”
Gearhart said the greatest concern exists for the Northshore communities, Clearlake and the eastern portions of Lake County.
Areas closer to the active fires may experience “severe” air quality due to the high levels of fine particulates.
Smokey conditions can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and air passages, which can be hazardous for sensitive individual including young children, the elderly, individuals with heart conditions or chronic lung disease such as asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions.
The extreme heat forecast for Lake County Monday can make the stress worse, especially if exercising hard, the district said.
The unhealthy alert results from smoke transported by winds and ozone generated with the smoke, high temperatures, significant sunlight, and humidity.
The smoke and sunlight cause chemical reactions in the air that further reduces visibility by forming
secondary particles in addition to those already in the smoke.
These particles draw the moisture out of the air, growing in number and size, making the haze even worse.
Poor air quality, haze, and particulate from the ongoing wildfires can be expected to continue throughout Lake County for the next few days until the fires are out.