South Lake Tahoe is experiencing good air quality for the second day in a row, while the Reno and Carson City areas are in the ‘very unhealthy’ range. The Washoe County School District canceled classes in the county in all areas except for Incline Village and Gerlach. Truckee is also experiencing poor air quality.
Under Tuesday’s southwest winds and elevated smoke production, sites north and east of the fire were heavily impacted, especially late afternoon and evening. Today, that smoke, combined with another bolus of smoke from today’s activity will likely keep Reno, Truckee, and Portola in the Unhealthy range or worse, with only slight relief in the afternoon. Sites south and west of the fire that were clear last night are likely to stay that way today. Tomorrow’s pattern looks similar, with slightly more intense and consistent smoke impacts east of the Sierra Crest.
This morning’s mapping the fire at just over 58,000 acres, for a growth of over 9000 acres yesterday, with containment is at 20%. Today, fire activity is again likely to be elevated under clear skies, consistent SW winds, and with fuels continuing to be at record dryness. Tomorrow, fire activity conditions moderate a bit as temperatures decrease in the wake of today’s winds.