DENVER (KDVR) — The Oak Fire continues to grow in size outside of Yosemite National Park in California, but Coloradans shouldn’t be concerned about smoke drifting into the Centennial State, for now.
The fire burning in Mariposa County has burned more than 26 square miles of forest land, and was 10% contained by Monday morning, according to Cal Fire. It is the largest wildfire in California so far this year. The cause is still under investigation.
And while the overall impact won’t be known until it’s full extinguished, here in Colorado we can breathe a bit easier knowing the seasonal surge of monsoon moisture will help keep smoke out of our skies.
According to Pinpoint Weather Meteorologist Chris Tomer, the massive surge of monsoon moisture that will feed into Colorado all week should act as a shield.
Tomer said that while there is a lot of smoke generating from California, the monsoon system should filter, block and wash out most of the smoke that is heading towards Colorado, saying the amount of smoke through mid-week will be low.
The surge is expected to linger in Colorado through Friday and with it a continued barrier against the smoke from the west.
In past years, including 2021, smoke from California wildfires has had a significant impact on the air quality here in Colorado.
Wildfire smoke is “literally small bits of matter,” Sam Gilchrist, Natural Resources Defense Council’s Western campaigns director, told FOX31 last year. “It can be ash, it can be dust, it can be a whole number of air contaminants. It gets into our lungs, into our bodies. It creates pretty serious health effects.”
