Fresno and Merced to see relief from wildfire smoke. What about those triple digits?
The next few days of forecasts show the potential for improved air quality in Fresno, Merced, and the San Joaquin Valley, but the conditions moving the smoke also will push up temperatures, forecasters say.
A high-pressure system from the south and southeast is expected to drive smoke from the state’s wildfires out of the Valley, pushing it up north and improving air quality in the Valley, according to Colin McKellar, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Hanford.
“We’re expecting a bit of a warm-up,” he said.
Highs through the weekend are forecast to remain in the triple digits, close to 105, with lows in the mid-70s in the urban parts of Fresno and Merced but low 60s in rural areas.
The Merced-area tends to have cooler temperatures because of wind coming off of the delta, according to forecasters.
The highs in the Valley are above average for this time of year, but overnight lows remain closer to average conditions.
As the high-pressure system pushes smoke north in a clockwise fashion, McKellar said, it will drag tropical air up from south of the border. That comes with a 20% to 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms starting Wednesday in areas higher than 5,000 feet and continuing to the weekend.
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has issued a health caution for potential smoke for the entire Valley, including Fresno Madera, Merced, Kings, Tulare, and Stanislaus counties. That remains in place until the fires are extinguished.
McKellar said the Valley did not see significant relief from wildfires last year until rainfall came late in the year.
“I would not be surprised if that was the case this year,” he said.
