Rest easy, Morongo Basin. As we continue to see smoke throughout the rest of the day, Z107.7 has confirmed that the smoke is most likely from the Rafael Fire burning near Flagstaff, Arizona. The fire sparked on June 18 after a lightning strike and has burned 77,102 acres and is 48% contained.
How did the smoke get here? Science! According to a fire information officer on the Rafael Fire, crews conducted heavy backburning yesterday evening and some of the backburned areas created excess smoke, thus resulting in a very heavy smoke day for Northern Arizona. Overnight, the winds and slightly cooler temperatures brought the smoke to the Morongo Basin and when the heat ticked up (remember that excessive heat warning we are in?) the smoke was trapped above us here in the desert, something the representatives we talked to on the Rafael Fire called a reverse inversion of the air around us.
Winds are expected to shift South this afternoon and the smoke is expected to clear up this evening. If it doesn’t, it is most likely due to shifting winds.
