Triple-digit temps gone for the week in Modesto

With its high of 101 degrees, Monday brought the last triple-digit heat of the week for the Modesto area, according to the National Weather Service forecast. That was well above the historic average temperature of 93 degrees, by Modesto Irrigation District records, and a few degrees shy of the record high for Aug. 17 – 105 degrees in 1967.

Smoke from wildfires burning north of Sacramento also hung around Monday. The haze and smell in the air over the past couple of days has been from fires in Trinity County.

For Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District said the air quality Monday was “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” The general public is not likely to be affected at this air quality range, the district says, but people with heart and lung disease, older adults and children are at a greater risk from exposure to ozone and particles in the air.

“If you can smell it, you are taking it into your lungs and it is having an impact,” said Heather Heinks, spokeswoman for the district. The extreme heat and stagnant air have contributed to ozone pollution, she said.

More exhaust fumes are produced in August as parents resume taking their children to school. Parents can help by not letting cars idle as much in front of schools. Another idea for improving air quality is taking a lunch to work instead of using the car during the lunch hour, Heinks said.

Monday afternoon, the air district posted the air quality forecast for Tuesday. For Stanislaus and Merced counties, it remains “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” but for San Joaquin County, it improves to “moderate.”

On Wednesday, air officials will discuss the potential of calling an Air Alert over the next few weeks if quality begins to deteriorate.

Air Alerts, according to the district, are declared Valley-wide when conditions such as increased emissions, high temperatures and stagnant air flow are favorable for ozone accumulation.

During an Air Alert, which could last several days, residents and businesses are urged to reduce vehicle emissions by driving less, refraining from idling their vehicles, carpooling and avoiding the use of drive-through services.

Over the week, the daily high temperature will gradually decline, the Weather Service predicts: near 96 Tuesday, 94 Wednesday, and 92 Thursday through Sunday.

Saturday brings the return of X-Fest to downtown, with more than 150 acts on 20 stages and an anticipated crowd of as many as 20,000. It will be a bit hotter for festivalgoers than last year, when the high was 89 degrees.

To check local air quality, residents are advised to visit the air district’s Real-Time Air Advisory Network at www.valleyair.org.

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Triple-digit temps gone for the week in Modesto."