Smoke and haze to continue over Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The National Weather Service in Reno issued a special weather statement Wednesday, calling for widespread smoke and haze over the Sierra and northern California and western Nevada.

As of 8:00 a.m. the Air Quality measurement in South Lake Tahoe is 82, the moderate range. Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. it jumped to 161, in the unhealthy range.

Fires:

Loyalton Fire is now at 46,386 acres and is 35 percent contained
Claremont Fire near Quincy is 450 acres
North Complex Fires are near Quincy and at 5,400 acres, 5 percent contained
W-5 Fire is burning about 11 miles east of the Lassen County, 2,500 acres
Jones Fire: Burning near Nevada City and Grass Valley has caused the evacuation of thousands of residents. It is currently at 675 acres and is 5 percent contained.
August Complex Fire: It is comprised of at least 20 fires, ranging in size from one-tenth acre to 1,400 acres, scattered across the Mendocino National Forest. The total acreage on fire is 30,000 acres
Butte Lightning Complex is 1,500 acres and 10 percent contained
LNU Lightning Complex is eight different fires Napa and Sonoma counties is at 46,225 acres and no containment

Thicker particulate matter from the Claremont, North Complex, Loyalton, and W-5 fires may cause hazardous air quality and rapid visibility reductions depending upon how active these fires burn over the next few days. For the latest on air quality visit: https://fire.airnow.gov/.

Haze from several fires continue to actively burn across central and northern California, which are releasing extensive amounts of particulate matter and smoke into the atmosphere. With increasing westerly flow, there will be a large area of haze across the region for at least the next few days.

They recommend people stay indoors as much as possible when smoke is present, avoid strenuous activity, especially if you are sensitive to poor air quality, such as the elderly, children, and anyone with chronic illness or respiratory problems. Smoke can irritate your lungs, cause inflammation, affect your immune system, and make you more prone to lung infections.

Wednesday's forecast for South Lake Tahoe:

Widespread haze between noon and 4:00 p.m. Widespread smoke before noon. Sunny, with a high near 87. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tonight: Widespread haze before 3am, then widespread haze after 5am. Widespread smoke before midnight, then widespread smoke after 3am. Clear, with a low around 49. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.