California – Tens of thousands of Southern California residents are being urged to remain indoors this weekend as a dangerous combination of extreme heat and hazardous air quality blankets parts of the Coachella Valley.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an “emergency” level air quality warning for Cathedral City, where pollution levels reached the highest possible tier on the AirNow index Friday morning. Classified under the maroon category — “hazardous” — this warning signals severe health risks for all residents, not just those in vulnerable populations.
Nearby areas, including Desert Edge, Sky Valley, Thousand Palms, and Sunair, have been placed under a “very unhealthy” purple warning, while red warnings remain in effect for parts of Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and along the California-Arizona border…