Notice a haze in New Mexico skies? Here’s where its coming from
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Parts of New Mexico may see some haze this week due to wildfires in California, according to KRQE News 13 Chief Meteorologist Grant Tosterud.
Forecast models show that the smoke will begin to arrive in the early hours on Thursday and will thicken as the morning progresses. Silver City and Gallup may see the heaviest smoke around 6 a.m.; however, a majority of the state will see a thin layer of haze come noon.
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The smoke could linger in New Mexico and neighboring Colorado until Friday morning, according to the forecast. On Wednesday, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona, had noticeably hazy skies due to the wildfire smoke.
The smoke is traveling east from Southern California, near Los Angeles County. The area is currently experiencing three wildfires known as the Bridge Fire, Line Fire, and Airport Fire.
The haze of smoke also settled over Albuquerque in the morning and afternoon of Thursday. The city said the West Coast wildfire smoke isn’t enough to send out a health alert, but it is something they’re keeping an eye on.
Jeff Stonesifer, meteorologist on staff with the City of Albuquerque’s Air Quality Program, is among those with the city watching the hazy skies and keeping an eye on what settles over Albuquerque just before 11:00 a.m.
“The fine particulate levels will probably double from what we’re seeing now. So, it will be noticeable to people, it will reduce the visibility a little bit, but it’s not going to be bad enough for a health alert,” Stonesifer said. Using a special National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) model, Stonesifer said Thursday’s haze blew in from the west.
“Some of that smoke from the southern California wildfires is heading our direction. It started heading that way yesterday, and it continues to move toward us,” Stonesifer said.
Although there was a fire at the Cerro Colorado Landfill in West Mesa Wednesday: “The fire, that was contained yesterday, and that’s not contributing to this in any way,” Stonesifer said.
So, how bad is the smoke in our area on Thursday? Stonesifer said it will be in the ‘moderate’ category for smoke particles in the air, but that shouldn’t be enough to affect sensitive populations. “It’s not going to get bad enough for a health alert even for sensitive people.”
Thursday morning predictions about how long the haze would stick around seem to have come true: “The winds will pick up out of the south later this afternoon and push that smoke out of here,” Stonesifer said.
The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) said it also saw an uptick in air quality levels in Carlsbad, Santa Fe, and Bloomfield; but those levels are still considered safe.
“During wildfires, the Air Quality Bureau specifically looks at particulate matter pollution. While today we are seeing moderate particulate matter levels in some areas of the state, such as at our Anthony, Santa Fe Airport, Carlsbad and Bloomfield monitors, it is difficult to determine the exact cause of those levels. At this time, all monitors are below federal health levels, and the Air Quality Bureau will continue to track the situation. Real-time air information is available at https://aqi.air.env.nm.gov/,” said Jorge Armando Estrada, public relations coordinator for NMED in a statement to KRQE.
Wildfire smoke health impacts and safety tips
Children, older adults, and people with existing heart and lung conditions are at higher risk for smoke-related health problems. But, even healthy people are advised to limit smoke exposure. Wildfire smoke can irritate the lungs and cause immediate effects as well as chronic health problems with repeated exposure. Impacts include:
Eye, nose, and throat irritation – Stinging eyes, runny nose, coughing, and sore throat.
Wheezing and chest tightness – Smoke can induce wheezing, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Asthma complications – Wildfire smoke can worsen asthma symptoms by irritating airways.
Increased risk of lung disease – Long-term smoke exposure may raise the chances of developing COPD and pulmonary fibrosis.
Heart problems – Smoke may increase the risk of irregular heartbeats, heart attacks, heart failure, and stroke.
Tips to protect yourself on smoky days:
Limit time outdoors, and while inside, keep windows and doors closed.
Avoid using swamp coolers when possible.
Set home air conditioning units to recirculate during fire events to deter smoke from entering the house.
Stop the use of all fragrances such as spray air fresheners, candles, wax melts, and chemically scented household products.
Don’t use a vacuum cleaner during a smoke event because it can stir up particles already inside your home.
Try an air purifier.
For more tips, click here.
The City of Albuquerque said you can sign up for real-time emergency health alerts on your phone by texting ‘ABQHEALTH’ for alerts in English or ‘ABQSALUD’ for alerts in Spanish to 226787. Mobile alerts are issued for high levels of air pollutants, food safety recalls or alerts, hazardous material discharges, and important infectious disease developments.
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