Air Quality Getting Better?
So today and yesterday we entered a great time of relief for the air. The past weeks have been destroyed by smoke, orange skies, and ash piles everywhere. But out of nowhere we get a pocket of freedom, that is limited. Of course, COVID is still at large so masks can’t come off yet but at least secluded we can enjoy some fresh air. Personally I am still stuck home with college applications and everything piling up as due dates come nearer but today should be a time to get out and get some well-deserved air for everyone. Granted it is your own air, not someone nearby. But why did this happen? Are the fires gone?
The short answer for both is that wind direction and pocket calm. The fires because of recent fog (because of recent sunny hot weather) caused a time for the fires to calm down, they still exist but aren’t as huge as they were a few weeks back. The wind is on our side so take advantage of it, the wind is blowing at San Francisco causing the ash and smoke to be blown elsewhere. This is no solution and no answer, that ash will be going somewhere else and doesn’t solve the problem. So this should be a time to get out and get some air while understanding that this is temporary until the fires are really quenched.
The data above has been taken from BAAQMD, I highly recommend checking them out every now and then these next few weeks to make sure the air isn’t absolute trash. For example the last week it has been purple red and orange indicating that the air is worse than breathing in methane. Again even though most people know this gets the proper mask for the ash if it should come back, breathing in the smallest particles can cause major breathing problems like asthma and if you were to get COVID and asthma it is insanely bad for you. SO we suggest trying to avoid both in these trying times.
As I mentioned before this is most likely temporary, looking forward it is likely the smoke will return this weekend or even tomorrow. That is why we should stay safe and be grateful for this small time to enjoy some fresh air while we can.