Dirty Air

we've had wild fires to the north of us for most of a week now, in a very beautiful part of this area: the mountainous Angeles Forest. Most of my time up there is riding my motorcycle. It's beautiful and very popular with hikers and bikers... motorized and not.

We've had a bit of luck in that there have been no winds to fan the flames, but still, now, homes are being threatened and there is absolutely tons of ash hanging in the air.

When a wind does start up it could be the hot and furious "devil winds" from the desert (called Santa Anas here) which would fan the flames and bring those tons of ash our way, or it could be a cooling off shore breeze which would take a bit of moisture up to the fire areas and push the ashes out to the high desert.

In the meantime, people with asthma and homes close to the fires are in great anxiety.

This photo of airborne dirt and ash is to the northeast just before sunrise.