A little heat and lots of smog

Susan McCormack

NEWPORT-MESA -- While the warm weather may have enticed residents to

spend more time outdoors this week, weather experts said there is a good

reason not to: an unusual amount of pollutants in the air.

Sam Atwood, spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management

District, said the county’s coastal areas, including Newport Beach, have

been experiencing higher-than-normal levels of nitrogen dioxide, which

tints the skies reddish-brown.

The smog arrived on the coast with an unusual airflow the past two days,

with pollutants moving from the inland areas to the beaches instead of

the reverse, Atwood said.

It is more common for offshore flows to come in from the ocean and move

inland.

As a result, meteorologists determined inland air quality as being “good”

and coastal air as “moderate” Wednesday and Thursday.

“It’s a little bit unusual,” Atwood said, adding that moderate air

quality is still considered healthy for most people.

“Unless someone is particularly sensitive to air pollution, someone with

asthma or respiratory diseases, they probably won’t notice any effects,”

he said.

The air quality district predicted that the smoggy conditions will

subside by this afternoon, Atwood said.

Just as the smog is expected to soon fade away, so is the warm weather,

said Mark Moede, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San

Diego.

Moede said Friday should mark the last of the warm weather that has

graced the county since Sunday.

“Near the beaches, there will be a notable drop-off in temperature

several degrees cooler each day,” Moede predicted, adding that fog will

start rolling into coastal areas in the mornings -- another sure sign

that winter is on its way.

For Balboa boardwalk merchants, the warm fall season gave them a last

shot at making up for slow summer sales.

“With the warm weather, it’s been a little busier than normal, especially

on the weekends,” said Cheryl Mack, a salesperson at Xanadu Skate

Rentals.