Air quality alert in effect through Friday evening; smoke from state’s fires moving across the country
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With heavy smoke still hanging in Lake County’s air basin due to local and regional fires, the Lake County Air Quality Management District has issued another air quality alert.
The alert is in effect until 7 p.m. Friday.
Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart reported that all areas of Lake County should be prepared for continuing periods of conditions rated as “unhealthy” through Friday evening.
At “unhealthy” levels, everyone needs to take steps to protect themselves from exposure, according to Gearhart’s report.
On Thursday evening, smoke socked in much of the county, causing what looked like an early twilight.
At that point, Gearhart was speaking in a virtual community meeting held to update the community on the LNU Lightning Complex, which has burned nearly 370,000 acres.
He said the air conditions were worsening due to shifting winds. Winds in the coming days also are forecast to arrive and help clear out the air basin.
The Lake County weather forecast calls for winds of up to 9 miles per hour through the weekend, along with patchy smoke.
The smoke in Lake County is coming primarily from the LNU Lightning Complex as well as the 200,000-acre August Complex in the Mendocino National Forest. Both complexes were sparked by lightning storms nearly two weeks ago.
NASA satellite imagery shows smoke covering Northern California as well as its effects on other parts of the country.
The NASA aerosol satellite image shown below, from earlier this week below, illustrates how smoke has traveled across much of the United States, affecting areas from California all the way to Minnesota and Nebraska.
More information, including current air quality conditions, can be found at the Lake County Air Quality Management District website.
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