Tahoe air affected by Tamarack Fire
Smoke from the Tamarack Fire drifted into the South Lake Tahoe area Sunday night, briefly worsening air quality before clearing up Monday, according to air quality data.
On Sunday at about 6 p.m., the air quality was deemed “very unhealthy” with an AQI of 222 in South Lake Tahoe, according to AirNow.gov’s Fire and Smoke Map. A dark, smoky sky engulfed the South Lake Tahoe area, according to some social media posts.
Megan Bronson of Fresno said they cut their trip short with their wife Monday morning because Bronson has asthma.
“Last night the air quality was much worse than it was this morning around 7 a.m. when we left,” said Bronson. “If you stood still last night, you could see ash swirling in the air.”
By Monday morning, much of the Lake Tahoe area cleared up and the air quality is now considered “good.” It will likely remain that way unless the Tamarack Fire’s smoke moves northwest, according to meteorologists.
The air quality in the area “has improved since (Sunday) night,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Shane Snyder.
“Winds may come around a little more suddenly this evening but the worst conditions are expected in western Nevada,” Snyder added, such as the Gardnerville, Carson City and Virginia City areas.
Some businesses and tourism experts said Sunday’s air quality has not impacted travel, although one resort announced it would close Monday “due to incoming weather.”
“We’ve had beautiful flights the last several days. Yesterday smoke rolled in later in the afternoon, but we could see clear around the lake again this morning,” said Gabriel Gundling, owner of Lake Tahoe Balloons.
“People aren’t canceling reservations or leaving town,” said Jennifer Boyd Lemming, a spokeswoman for TahoeSouth.com., a tourist information website.
Heavenly Mountain Resort on Monday afternoon announced on Twitter that they were closing for the day “due to incoming weather.”
The weather service’s Reno office said on Twitter that thunderstorms were expected Monday afternoon and could impact areas near Hawthorne, Yerington, Fernley, Fallon and Lovelock in Nevada.
The resort had previously closed on Sunday because of the unhealthy air quality and then reopened again on Monday morning.