Has bad air been making you cough? Relief could be on the way

A weather system coming from the northwest on Sunday could blow out the gray, polluted air that has hung like a dirty blanket over Fresno for the past four days.

The central San Joaquin Valley has been cloaked by a high pressure system that acts like a dome, trapping tiny specks of pollution close enough to the ground to be inhaled.

Since Tuesday, the air in the Valley has been hazy. In Kings and Tulare counties it has been unhealthy for people who are sensitive to pollution, such as children and adults with asthma and people with heart conditions. And Fresno and Madera counties have teetered on the edge of unhealthy air for sensitive groups. Small particulates are not only harmful to people with respiratory conditions but can get into the lungs and the bloodstreams of healthy people, with the potential to cause lung, heart and other health problems.

But pollution levels should improve on Sunday when a storm brings cooler air. “It should mix out or push out a lot of this stagnant, polluted air we’ve had in the last few days,” said Jim Dudley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Hanford.

The storm, however, may carry only a small amount of rain for the Valley, mostly falling on Monday morning.

Fresno could get about 0.25 inches of rain from the storm, Dudley said. There will be less than a quarter-of-an-inch rainfall in Kings and Tulare counties. Only mountain communities can expect a soaking: Oakhurst could get about 0.75 inches and Shaver Lake could get about 1 inch.

So far this year, storms have passed through without leaving standing water on streets and overflowing gutters. From Oct. 1 until Nov. 24, Fresno has recorded 0.31 inches of rain. The normal for this time of year is 1.47 inches. Last year at this time, Fresno had a rainfall total of 1.28 inches.

The Monday storm also will not dump a lot of snow in the mountains. Snow levels will start at 11,000 feet Sunday evening and then drop down to about 6,000 feet on Monday, Dudley said.

Look for dry days to return beginning Tuesday, Dudley said. “We are going to build a ridge of high pressure back in,” he said. And when the storm departs, it could be followed by patchy fog on Tuesday morning. Fog can hold tiny particles of pollution that can aggravate lungs.

But there is some good news: The next high pressure system will not be as tough as the last, allowing for some air movement to sweep out toxic particles of pollution from fireplaces, car exhaust, agriculture and industry.

The high temperature on Monday could be a cool 61 degrees. People should check pollution levels before burning wood in fireplaces or wood stoves by visiting the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District website or by calling 800-766-4463.

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Has bad air been making you cough? Relief could be on the way."