Smoky, Unhealthful Air Persists In Riverside County: No End Date

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — It's not just smoke from nearby wildfires that's choking Riverside County.

Yes, the gray haze from nearby blazes that turns orange at sunset is causing some respiratory distress for many residents, even the healthy. Add to it though the ozone levels, which have been elevated due to warm temperatures and emissions, and the health crisis is real — especially for those who have trouble breathing on a good day.

Unfortunately, forecasters can't offer updates that might signal improved conditions in the immediate near future, even as firefighters gain control on some of the blazes. On Wednesday, the air quality forecast is pretty dismal across much of Riverside County, as it's been for days, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Two local wildfires — the El Dorado and Bobcat — as well as wildfires in Northern and Central California are most to blame for the bad air. But smoke from fires in Oregon and Washington is also being transported south and may impact air quality in the South Coast Air Basin and Coachella Valley on Wednesday, according to the SCAQMD.

Smoke from the El Dorado Fire will further degrade air quality in western Riverside and San Bernardino counties starting early Wednesday morning; other areas could also see worsening smoke impacts but to a lesser extent, according to the SCAQMD.

"Areas of direct impacts and poor air quality may include all parts of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties within in the South Coast AQMD jurisdiction, as well as metropolitan Riverside County and Coachella Valley," the agency stated.

Very unhealthy air is possible in areas of direct smoke impacts, according to the agency.

By Wednesday afternoon, onshore winds that move from the coast toward inland areas will likely push smoke to the northeast and eastward into the mountains of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, leading to some clearing in metropolitan areas, the agency stated.

"Modest smoke impacts may persist throughout the rest of the South Coast Air Basin and Coachella Valley due to smoke from the Northern and Central California fires," the SCAQMD reported. "Impacts will be highly variable throughout the day, impacting different parts of the region at different times."

As for elevated ozone levels, Southwest Riverside County and the Riverside metropolitan area will reach unhealthy levels, according to the SCAQMD.

Why?

"Tropospheric, or ground level ozone, is not emitted directly into the air, but is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds," according to the Environmental Protection Agency. "This happens when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight.

"Ozone is most likely to reach unhealthy levels on hot sunny days in urban environments, but can still reach high levels during colder months," the EPA explanation continued. "Ozone can also be transported long distances by wind, so even rural areas can experience high ozone levels."

In other words, Wednesday — like much of the last week, and probably the week ahead — is not a good day for anything that breathes air.