Sunday, July 13, 2014 - Smoke from the Nicholls Fire

Observed smoke from the Nicholls fire from satellite (http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm)

Smoke from the Nicholls Fire, which had burnt 1,718 acres in the Kiavah Wilderness Area south of Lake Isabella  as of last night (July 12), was likely visible high over much of the Central Valley yesterday. Monitoring data indicates that the plume stayed high aloft, and so far has not affected air quality at the surface.  For more information on the Nicholls fire, go to: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3944/.  The Bald Mtn Webcam  has been providing a pretty good view of the plume (here's a screen grab from yesterday, 7/12/14, at 11 AM).

This pattern will likely persist today and tomorrow,  if fire fighters are successful in slowing fire growth.  However if the fire continues to grow at current rates, there is potential for impacts at the surface in the Central Valley late Monday morning through late afternoon  (7/14) as high pressure over the region intensifies and smoke mixes down to the surface.