[Nick Koan]

According to the Reno Gazette Journal, the haze is here to stay for the week. But the air quality isn't supposed to suffer that much. The smoke is coming from fires around Santa Barbara and Fresno.

Yay!

http://news.rgj.com//apps/pbcs.dll/a...EWS18/70813016

Haze from SoCal fires to stay for the week
JEFF DELONG
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 8/13/2007

Smoke hazing the skies of Northern Nevada is blowing here from fires burning far away in Southern California and is expected to be present in the area through much of the week, experts said.

Despite the haze, air quality is still rated in the good range today, according to officials from Washoe District Health’s air quality division.
A primary culprit in the smoke seen locally is the massive Zaca Fire burning near Santa Barbara, said Kyle Mozley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno. A southwesterly flow of winds is carrying the smoke northward to settle over the Truckee Meadows and Lake Tahoe Basin, Mozley said.
“It’s blowing up this way,” Mozley said. “That’s where most of it is coming from.”
The Zaca Fire has burned for six weeks and charred about 148 square miles of brush and forest, officials said. The fire surged across 13 square miles of arid brush overnight Sunday, officials said.
Smoke is also blowing toward the Reno-Tahoe from the Tar Fire near Fresno, which has burned almost 5,000 acres.
Smoky conditions are not as bad as when a fire is burning locally but could produce uncomfortable conditions for the elderly or those with breathing problems, said Duane Sikorski, air quality supervisor for the health department.
“If it’s bothering people, they should curtail any outdoor exercise,” Sikorski said. “Just stay indoors.”
Afternoon winds should clear the smoke away but it’s likely to settle again overnight, producing hazy mornings throughout the week, Mozley said.