Northern Nevada Public Health issues Stage 1 Emergency Episode for Park Fire Smoke
Northern Nevada Public Health’s (NNPH) Air Quality Management Division (AQMD) has issued a Stage 1 Emergency Episode due to smoke from the Park Fire in Northern California. The air quality index (AQI) for the Reno-Sparks Area is forecasted to be “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” to “Unhealthy” at times on Wednesday, July 31, according to a news release from their website.
Smoke from the Park Fire began impacting the Reno-Sparks area Tuesday night and continued into Wednesday morning. Smoke is forecasted to persist through Thursday morning. Smoke that travels to the area overnight should settle into the valleys and lead to elevated AQI. Wednesday shows limited mixing with low winds all day, allowing accumulated smoke to remain in the area.
According to the National Weather Service Forecast Discussion, the worst of the smoke from the Park Fire in northern California has impacted areas primarily in Lassen, central and northern Washoe, Pershing, and Churchill counties.
Wednesday and into Thursday evening there will be an increase in smoke and haze for areas farther south.
Another source of smoke that could start impacting Mono County north into the Tahoe Basin is from the Pedro Fire in Mariposa/Tuolumne counties. Smoke and haze could start to become an issue for those locations, depending on how that fire evolves.
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