The Aug. 17, 2021 R-C Smoky Report

Genoa, Nev. — Highway 395 is closed between Herlong Junction and Susanville due to the Dixie Fire, which satellite fire detection indicates is very near to reaching the highway at Honey Lake. Reports from the scene are that the fire has jumped Highway 395.

A red flag warning has been issued for 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. today across most of Western Nevada and Northern California for gusty winds and low humidity. The predicted 15-25 mph winds, gusting to 40 mph may clear out some of the smoke, but it’s also going to fan the flames for a fire that has consumed 904 square miles, so far and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

Visibility at Minden-Tahoe Airport dropped to 1.25 miles 1:35-1:55 p.m. Monday as the smoke from the Dixie Fire continued to pour into the Valley. The winds cleared the Valley somewhat by 8:30 p.m., but the minute the wind calmed the smoke increased.

The air quality monitor in Ranchos Aspen Park showed a peak around 3 p.m. Monday of 175, which is well in the unhealthy range. The wind brought a brief break before it climbed back up to 165. This morning the monitor at airnow.gov is in the moderate range, reading 68 at 6 a.m. today.

NV Energy reports the possibility of safety outages today from Genoa to Clear Creek due to the gusty winds and low humidity. The Public Safety Outage Management event is between 11 a.m. today and 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to @NVEnergy.

Expect hazy skies before 2 p.m. with areas of smoke after 2 p.m. The high is forecast to hit 91 degrees with the wind out of the east at 5-10 mph shifting west to 15-25 mph, gusting up to 40 mph.

Kurt Hildebrand is editor of The Record-Courier. Reach him at khildebrand@recordcourier.com