Bad air expected all week in Tahoe region

Smoke in Tahoe is providing for some spectacular sunsets like the one Aug. 27. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Expect the skies in Tahoe and points east to be smoky through the week. A dense smoke advisory has been issued through 5pm Thursday.

“Outdoor activities are strongly discouraged due to the poor air quality. Visibility is likely to remain below 5 miles in the Reno area and remain below 4 miles in Carson City, South Lake Tahoe, Minden and Markleeville today. While some improvement in air quality and visibility may occur, winds are favorable for smoke to persist into Friday,” the National Weather Service in Reno said.

The annual Labor Day weekend fireworks set to go off Sunday on the South Shore are still planned.

Lake Tahoe Unified and Douglas County school districts are keeping students indoors because of the poor air quality.

South Lake Tahoe reopened the city pool today.

It is the Rim Fire burning near Yosemite National Park that is bringing the smoke to the region. It has consumed 187,466 acres and is now the seventh largest fire in the state’s history and the largest in the Sierra Nevada. It is 23 percent contained.

The fire destroyed Tuolumne Berkeley Family Camp, which included three commercial buildings, and 85 tent cabins and outbuildings. Facilities at the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, San Francisco’s water supply, remain threatened.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report