It's so hot that even the aftermath of fireworks is slow.
The region's air quality alerts associated with the Fourth of July ended Sunday afternoon. But as Southern California's attention turns to the sweltering heat expected for the day and the rest of the week, one expert said soot and particles may not be dispersing normally.
The heat is affecting how air pollution is dispersed in the region, National Weather Service meteorologist Carol Ciliberti said Sunday.
The high-pressure system that is causing temperature spikes, Ciliberti said, is also depressing much of the particles, pushing them closer to the ground.
“If there is a layer where there is smog or particles, then it is suppressed closer to the ground, which makes the situation worse,” Ciliberti said.
Normally, the land flow (a west-southwest wind that creates the ocean breeze and pushes air away from the coasts) would push the particles with it. But today the winds are weaker, meaning airborne pollution is not being dispersed.
“If we had stronger overland flow, that would help disperse some of the fine particle pollution,” Ciliberti said. “That's not happening.”
Some celebrations were expected to continue Sunday night, but they would not create the same amount of pollution as on the 4th, Ciliberti said.
Compounding the poor air quality, this year's celebration comes on the heels of a late June warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that released extraordinary amounts of soot and smoke throughout Los Angeles County, on par with the pollution generated by the wildfires of the previous year.
A hazardous air quality alert issued Saturday night by the South Coast Air Quality Management District due to soot and particles from fireworks ended at 3 p.m. Sunday for central and southern Los Angeles County, northern Orange County, and Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
July 4 and 5 are traditionally two of the worst days of the year for the region's air quality, according to the South Coast AQMD.
