Another bad air day in Fresno? Sensors show unhealthy morning air as burning is discouraged

It looks to be another day of unhealthy air in Fresno.

A map of the city on the website Purple Air tracks sensors throughout the community and was littered with orange and red dots Monday morning.

Green and yellow indicate acceptable air quality readings.

As early as 9 a.m., multiple locations in the city were reporting 10-minute average AQI levels near or above 150, which, according to the company could have effects on people exposed for an extended time, especially those with respiratory and other conditions.

The highest readings appeared to be in the south and southeast parts of the city.

The website IQAir had Fresno’s air quality at 145, a level unhealthy for sensitive groups. The concentration of PM2.5 — the fine particulate matter that reduces visibility and causes the appearance of haze — was 5.3 times above the World Health Organization’s quality guideline value.

The winter is historically a bad time in terms of the amounts of particulate matter in the air, according to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Last week, the air district began urging residents to spend less time in gas-powered cars. Burning in any indoor and outdoor residential fire place is also discouraged for the entirety of the region.

This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 10:49 AM.