Air quality alerts have been issued across parts of southern California and southeastern Colorado, with the National Weather Service (NWS) warning that “hazardous” levels of pollution from windblown dust and wildfire smoke could pose serious health risks to millions of residents through the weekend and into early next week, with those affected advised to “keep windows and doors closed.”
Where Air Quality Is Affected—and Until When
In southern California, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has placed the Coachella Valley and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning—including cities such as Palm Springs, Indio, and La Quinta—under an air quality alert until Monday morning.
Further south, in California’s Imperial Valley, a separate alert tied to blowing dust is in effect during the daytime and evening hours of Sunday, running roughly from midday to midnight.
Meanwhile, in southeast Colorado, a different but equally serious threat is unfolding. An air quality health advisory for wildfire smoke is in place across Bent, Prowers, Otero, Las Animas, and Baca counties, including towns such as Trinidad, Lamar, and La Junta. That advisory runs until Sunday morning.
Why Air Quality Is So Poor
The underlying causes differ by region but share a common outcome—dangerous levels of fine particle pollution…