San Joaquin Valley residents gasping for clean air

High temps and smoke from fires equal misery

By EMILIE RAGUSO
eraguso@modbee.com

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Record temperatures and fires around the state continue to leave Northern San Joaquin Valley residents sweltering and gasping for fresh air, officials say.

Modesto hit 106 degrees Wednesday, setting a record for July 9. The previous record was 105, set in 1961, Modesto Irrigation District spokeswoman Kate Hora said.

Wildfires around the state have left air quality worse than the average for this time of year, said Anthony Presto, a district spokesman for the eight-county San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

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"We're seeing poor air quality around the clock, as long as fires and hot, stagnant days continue to push pollutants down to ground level," he said.

Today's air quality forecast shows slight improvement, said Shawn Ferreria, senior air quality specialist for the district. The air quality index is scheduled to be unhealthy for sensitive groups in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, unhealthy for all residents in Madera and Merced counties, and very unhealthy in Fresno.

Ferreria said a high-pressure lid that has hovered squarely over California appears to be shifting to Nevada.

"That's going to allow for this lid not to be as strong," he said. "The huge wild card right now in this whole forecast is, if the winds change, we could then be impacted by smoke again. It would offset the weather, and cause emissions to go back up."

Another scorcher

National Weather Service forecaster George Cline said today's high could be 107 degrees at the airport. Friday should be cooler, with a high of 102. Weather Underground, which uses a downtown forecast, estimates 106 for today and 101 for Friday. Cline said Modesto could see a downward trend through the weekend, with temperatures dipping below 100.

Modesto has a heat advisory in effect through this evening, Cline said.

Tuesday, the city broke its record for the warmest overnight low, dropping to 76 degrees downtown. The previous record low was 71 degrees, Hora said. Warm nights can cause spikes in utility bills, she said.

"There's no delta breeze blowing, so people keep their air conditioner running longer at night," she said. "That really adds up in the next month's bill."

The MID reported a power loss in the 300 blocks of South Santa Cruz and South Santa Ana avenues Wednesday evening. Hora said this type of failure is common when it's extremely hot. The transformer that failed was one of 18,000 run by the district. The power loss was fixed by 6:10 p.m.

The county's Health Services Agency has seen nothing out of the ordinary this week, said spokesman Ken Fitzgerald. The organization monitors emergency room visits and calls to Emergency Medical Services and the 911 dispatch center.

"Nothing above normal for this time of year has been reported," he said. "It may be cooling off a bit, but it's still important for people to find ways to stay healthy in the heat. But, at this point, it's been relatively quiet."

For more information about air quality, visit www.valleyair.org.

Bee staff writer Emilie Raguso can be reached at eraguso@modbee.com or 578-2235.