Why is the sky overcast in Redding? What to know about haze, smoke and triple-digit heat

Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight
·2 min read

People in Shasta County are seeing overcast skies, but that won't be enough to cool off an impending heat wave.

A small storm rolling up the California coast is pushing puffy clouds over the North State, according to meteorologist Cory Mueller with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Expect the clouds to stay until Tuesday afternoon or evening.

North State residents speculated on social media Monday if the haze was caused by wildfire smoke.

“There might be a little bit of haze from the northern end of the smoke cloud” from the Oak Fire burning in Mariposa County, but it’s really high in the atmosphere, said National Weather Service meteorologist Courtney Carpenter. What you're seeing are just clouds.

If there is any smoke in the sky it's not likely affecting ground-level air quality, said Shasta County Air Quality District Manager for John Waldrop. The majority of smoke from the Oak Fire blew over the Tahoe area on Sunday. Any smoke over Shasta County is so miniscule and high, it's not triggering air quality sensors on the ground.

Air pollution throughout western Shasta County stayed at low to moderate levels from Saturday through Monday morning, according to the EPA's AirNow sensors.

Cloudy skies won't significantly take the edge off a very hot week, Carpenter said. Tuesday might be “a degree or two cooler with the clouds," but the forecast is for 104 degrees. On Wednesday the clouds will be gone and temperatures rise up to 106 degrees.

Then it will really get hot on Thursday and Friday, she said. The Redding area will reach 110 degrees.

Conditions will be dry and hot, making it easy for brush to burn, but wind will remain light, reducing some risk fire could spread easily, Carpenter said. Winds will blow from the south at no more than 10 mph.

For more information on air pollution or to check your air quality, go to the AirNow website at airnow.gov.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and entertainment stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Weather in Redding: Why is sky overcast? Will clouds cool heat wave?