Tuolumne County Air Quality Alert Extended

The Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control District has extended the Air Quality Alert for Tuolumne County due to smoke impacts from the Rim Fire.

The Air Quality Alert is now in effect until 12 PM on Wednesday.

Most mountain and foothill communities in Tuolumne County and portions of Yosemite National Park have been and are continuing to be impacted by smoke.

Exposure to particle pollution can cause serious health problems, aggravate lung disease, cause asthma attacks and acute bronchitis and increase risk of respiratory infections.

Residents are advised to use caution as conditions warrant. People with heart or lung diseases should follow their doctors advice for dealing with episodes of unhealthy air quality.

Older adults and children should avoid prolonged exposure, strenuous activities or heavy exertion as conditions dictate.

For more information, call the Tuolumne County Air District at 209-533-5693.

According to the National Weather Service, the threat of thunderstorms in the Sierra Nevada returns this week.

Monsoonal moisture will come back into the central California interior over the next couple of days and help fuel thunderstorms over the higher terrain.

The moisture will first arrive in the Kern county mountains today and then spread northward into the Sierra on Tuesday and linger through the end of the week. Tuolumne County is at the extreme north end of this activity.

In addition to dangerous cloud to ground lightning, thunderstorms can bring heavy rain and localized flooding along with gusty and erratic winds.