Continued 'unhealthy' to 'hazardous' air quality Wednesday across western Nevada region
Smoke from the Mosquito wildfire continues to produce unhealthy to hazardous air quality around the Reno, Sparks and Carson City region Wednesday morning.
The latest observations indicate the worst conditions to be concentrated near Truckee and extending into Reno, Sparks, and the North Valleys. As of 7:30 a.m. Reno's air quality was in the "hazardous" range, according to airnow.gov. All schools in Washoe County and University of Nevada, Reno in-person classes have been canceled due to the hazardous air quality.
Visibility of 2-3 miles due to thick smoke is in place mainly along and north of I-80. Motorists should exercise caution for the morning commute.
Carson City and Dayton areas were in the "unhealthy" category as of 7:30 a.m. Readings for Minden and Gardnerville were in the "good" category but expected to reach the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category later today.
Another wave of smoke is forecast to push into the region Wednesday afternoon and evening with the latest smoke modeling concentrating the densest smoke plume for this afternoon across the Tahoe Basin into eastern Sierra/Nevada counties and through Reno/Sparks/North Valleys, according to the National Weather Service.
There is some potential for more widespread coverage extending to near Pyramid Lake with drainage flows seeping through the Carson Valley and across Lyon and Mineral counties this evening. Expect additional reductions to air quality and visibility, according to the weather service.
For the latest air quality information see airnow.gov and fire.airnow.gov.