Los Angeles residents are set for a sunny Christmas Day with a high near 69 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The balmy weather, however, comes with a caveat, poor air quality which prompted an Air Quality Alert and mandatory wood-burning ban for many parts of the region.
As festive lights twinkle, Angelenos will face a northeast wind of around 5 mph becoming southwest in the morning. The mild conditions are expected to continue throughout the week with temperatures hovering in the high 60 degrees. Yet, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) has deemed it imperative to impose a No-Burn rule that is in effect from midnight of December 24th to midnight of December 25th, as per an announcement on the National Weather Service website.
"The No-Burn rule prohibits burning wood as well as manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax or paper in any indoor or outdoor wood-burning device," clarifies the alert. Exemptions are made for communities above 3,000 ft in elevation, households with wood as their sole source of heat, residences without natural gas service, and low-income households.
The South Coast AQMD points out the danger that smoke from wood burning poses as it "can cause breathing problems (including asthma attacks), worsened lung, and heart disease symptoms," and may increase hospitalizations. Residents are directed to visit aqmd.gov or use its mobile application to stay updated on air quality levels. Meanwhile, the forecasted weather conditions suggest a chance of rain starting Friday night.
