Dense wildfire smoke over Carson City, surrounding communities expected to clear by Wednesday
UPDATE: Air quality monitors through airnow.gov as of 1 p.m. Tuesday are showing a "hazardous" reading in Reno and "very unhealthy" in Carson City and South Lake Tahoe, "unhealthy" in Minden and Gardnerville. Earlier Carson City reports showed the AQI monitor was not functioning properly.
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Dense smoke that has settled in throughout Carson City, the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding communities is coming from the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County, according to a National Weather Service forecaster.
Thick smoke and ash is being experienced from Reno, Lake Tahoe, Carson City, Carson Valley, Lyon and Storey counties. It is coming directly from the Caldor Fire, with the Dixie Fire smoke burning away from us, said NWS Meteorologist Alex Hoon.
Earlier Tuesday morning, the smoke was so thick in Washoe County that there was a two-hour school start delay. The smoke then began coming up through the mountains to the west into Carson City and Carson Valley areas after 9 a.m. and has grown thicker and heavier since. For hourly air quality information see airnow.gov.
"The overall wind right now is out of west to southwest, pushing all the Caldor Fire smoke directly at us," he said. "We're trading one (smoke source) for the other."
This heavy smoke is expected to stay within the region over the next 24 hours and then will be lifting, with little to no smoke for two days, as winds shift north to northeast, he said.
As the shift happens, daytime temperatures are expected to drop, significantly, from what we've been experiencing. Temperatures will be in the low 80s, possibly even the upper 70s for the valleys for Wednesday and Thursday, before warming back up this weekend. Smoke from the fires is expected to return, Friday and into the weekend.