Storm activity freshens the air in Stanislaus County

Local residents are filling their lungs with cleaner air since recent storms descended on the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

According to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, the air quality rating was good Monday for Stanislaus County when averaged over a 24-hour period.

The relief for residents in the San Joaquin Valley came after weeks of unhealthy air and extremely poor air pollution rankings in many locations. Over a weeklong period in December, areas in the central and southern portions of the valley recorded the worst or some of the worst air quality rankings on the scale.

“What we were looking for from our forecast was a weather system with wind and rain, and it is finally hitting us,” said Anthony Presto, a valley air district spokesman. “It should clean out the valley air through Wednesday.”

With the cleaner conditions, Stanislaus County will have no residential wood-burning restrictions Tuesday.

Later in the week, a high pressure system could start developing over California, leading to a gradual buildup of air pollutants over the valley.

“Air pollution can reach unhealthy levels within a couple of days if it is a severe high pressure system,” Presto said.

Valley residents can make a difference in air quality with their activity, Presto said. The district urges residents to first check the information at www.valleyair.org before burning in fireplaces or wood stoves.

This story was originally published January 8, 2018 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Storm activity freshens the air in Stanislaus County."