Several neighborhoods in Las Vegas, including Downtown, Angel Park, and Summerlin North, reported 'unhealthy' air quality levels on Monday, with hazy, smoky skies particularly affecting the western part of the valley.
What’s causing the poor air quality?
The poor air quality is primarily due to smoke drifting from the Gifford Fire burning near Santa Maria, California.
Wildfire smoke has spread into the Las Vegas Valley, reducing visibility and increasing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air.
Current air quality readings
As of 11 a.m. PDT, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) in Las Vegas stood at 184, which falls into the “unhealthy” category according to AirNow.
The worst AQI readings have been recorded in the following areas:
Downtown Las Vegas – 184 AQI · Unhealthy
Angel Park – 171 AQI · Unhealthy
Summerlin North – 167 AQI · Unhealthy
{{/usCountry}}Summerlin North – 167 AQI · Unhealthy
{{/usCountry}}Rancho – 165 AQI · Unhealthy
AirNow warns, “Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.”
Residents react to the smoky skies
Many Las Vegas residents have taken to social media to express concern over the conditions.
One person wrote on Facebook, “Be careful out there Las Vegas that Grand Canyon fire is filling the air with smoke.”
Another wrote, “This is smoke, you can’t see the mountains - our air quality is bad here in the Vegas. We need some wind - can I request a lake wind from WI/MN please - to blow it out of the Valley.”
A third person reported, “It is smoky out there, Vegas peeps, worse now than early this morning (I can even smell it now). If you’re elderly or have respiratory issues, please consider staying indoors as much as possible. The usual strip view is completely smoky.”
Another resident reported, “Unbelievable! This is the air quality in in Las Vegas today! No wonder I felt so stuffy and having a hard time breathing this morning! Yikes!”