A shift in winds will drive smoke from the Red Bank and Walker wildfires into the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, Sierra foothills and Lake Tahoe basin Wednesday.
A large area of high pressure is building across the Pacific just as a low pressure system is moving east. This weather pattern will bring dry, warming northwest winds.
Those winds will take smoke from the many fires in Northern California and push it south through the valley and Tahoe basin.
The smoke will start to fill the skies early Wednesday morning then get thicker by late Wednesday night.
Wildfire smoke is a particulate matter and can create hazardous air quality issues if it reaches high levels. The Sacramento Air Quality Management District says the size of the particles are so small they can pass directly into your lungs and possibly your bloodstream.
Here’s how long-term exposure to this type of air can affect both your lungs and heart:
- Increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing
- Decreased lung function
- Aggravated asthma
- Development of chronic respiratory disease in children
- Development of chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive lung disease
- Irregular heartbeat
- Nonfatal heart attacks
- Premature death in people with heart or lung disease, including death from lung cancer
Another shift in the weather pattern will bring a big warm up to the forecast. This could bring higher fire danger with the dry fuel that remains in much of the state.
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