"The Bay Air Air District decided Tuesday to usher in 2026 with a directive: No burning wood. Such were the consequences from a Spare the Air alert the agency issued for Thursday, the first day of the new year. Personal fireworks and residential wood burning are expected to cause localized elevated pollution levels, the air district said in a social media statement announcing the alert."
"But the fine particulate matter is expected to increase to numbers in the 80s throughout the region, up from numbers in the high 50s and low 60s Monday and Tuesday and the upper 60s and lower 70s forecast for Wednesday. Air is moderately healthy when the fine particulate matter measures from 50-100. When the fine particle pollution reaches 2.5, the district generally announces an alert. That level is expected Thursday."
"The alert will come at a time when the weather is expected to warm up and an atmospheric river storm is forecast to bring stormy weather to the region. The National Weather Service said their radar showed rain about 5,000-to-10,000 feet above sea level over southern Monterey County on Tuesday morning but that the rain was evaporating before reaching the ground."
Bay Air Air District issued a Spare the Air alert for Thursday, Jan. 1, that prohibits residential wood burning. Personal fireworks and residential wood burning are expected to cause localized elevated pollution. The district issued four Spare the Air alerts in 2025, including one on Thanksgiving. Regional air quality was moderately healthy early in the week, with fine particulate measurements in the high 50s to low 70s. Fine particulate matter is expected to rise into the 80s Thursday, reaching the level that typically triggers an alert when fine particle pollution reaches 2.5. An atmospheric river is forecast to bring warming followed by widespread showers, 1–3 inches of rain in heavier areas, and king tides causing a coastal flood advisory from Cloverdale to Monterey.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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