air quality in Fallbrook and Temecula (Fresno, Riverside: live in, shop, association)

[millr]

What's the air like in Fallbrook and Temecula? Is it polluted?

I found this article, but not sure if it really applies to Fallbrook and Temecula - they seem to be pretty far from L.A.

Riverside County Air Quality Gets "F" In Latest American Lung Association Report - Lake Elsinore-Wildomar, CA Patch

[CarawayDJ]

I just posted this response to a similar question about Temecula: //www.city-data.com/forum/san-b...l#post25592587 In that post is a nice link to a site that gives you a map-based view of air quality.

Fallbrook and Temecula are considered on the low end of the "moderate" levels for air quality. They aren't quite "good", but the only populated places in CA rated good are the cities in the Central Coast area. You don't need to worry about Temecula and Fallbrook. The heavy pollution from the smog express begins about 30-40 minutes north of Temecula driving up I-15. I would never live in a layer of smog like they have in much of Riverside County. No way I would have moved to Temecula is that were the case.

[millr]

Thanks

I also looked at airquality.weather.gov, and I just don't understand it:



The air is good in populated areas (LA, SD, Yuma, Fresno, LV), and sucks in the middle of nowhere and in the ocean?

[ycct]

Originally Posted by millr

Thanks

I also looked at airquality.weather.gov, and I just don't understand it:



The air is good in populated areas (LA, SD, Yuma, Fresno, LV), and sucks in the middle of nowhere and in the ocean?

The map does not represent general air quality, but specifically ozone concentration, which is just one factor in air quality.

If you follow the map you posted across all 24 hours you see the ozone concentration starts dipping in early AM along the coastal marine layer zone and stays low until around noon, after which it starts to increase again.

There is probably some process by which the marine layer interacts with creation and destruction of ozone that causes this dip during certain conditions - I am not an expert, but my understanding is that it has to do with the requirement for sunlight to produce ozone from NO2 emissions, so areas shielded by the marine layer in the morning will produce no new ozone, and in fact in the absence of sunlight, new NO emissions can actually destroy existing ozone by reacting with it, lowering the total concentration. This could explain why more densely populated areas have the lowest ozone concentration on your map - increased NO emissions plus shielded morning sunlight = rapid ozone destruction.

There are complex intra-day as well as seasonal and climate ozone creation/destruction patterns, many of which are not even completely understood, making accurate prediction of ozone concentration quite difficult.

[Asheville1]

Originally Posted by millr

What's the air like in Fallbrook and Temecula? Is it polluted?

I found this article, but not sure if it really applies to Fallbrook and Temecula - they seem to be pretty far from L.A.

Riverside County Air Quality Gets "F" In Latest American Lung Association Report - Lake Elsinore-Wildomar, CA Patch

I lived in Temecula for eighteen years, moved to Fallbrook for five, and now live in Western North Carolina in retirement.

Temecula is desert. Fallbrook is at a higher elevation and thus cooler. About fifteen degrees cooler in summer. And since summer's in Temecula can hit over a hundred degrees, that's signifigant.

Temecula gets a strong afternoon breeze every afternoon in the summer. And spring, through the Fallbrook Pass, which is a notch in the mountains to the west of town. Coastal air gets sucked inland by the desert heat. If you go there, notice nearly all the trees lean noticeably eastward. I lived there for awhile before I noticed that.

When I moved to Temecula in 1987, the AQMD discribed the air quality as pristine. But Temecula grew from a population of around 20k to somewhere around 100k or even more. It's in a valley and as such, air quality has suffered.

Fallbrook doesn't get the same weather as Temecula and doesn't get the breeze. I grew to dislike Temecula's weather. And I appreciated the change in Fallbrook's milder climate.

Due to mountains to it's west and rolling hills to it's east, there are many micro climate zones within the city of Temecula. The wineries make a point of the climate they enjoy. Wineries get that afternoon breeze, which I recall started sometime around 1PM. My then wife considered it a gale force wind, as it always disturbed her hair.

[ShelbyGirl1]

I'd totally disagree on the breezes in Fallbrook. EVERY single day we have a very cool breeze coming off the ocean...making it quite pleasant to sit in the backyard. I'm guessing location is everything in this instance. And yes, Fallbrook, at least 5-10 degrees cooler than Temecula. We often due our shopping in Temecula and see the huge differences.

[gamana]

[quote=Asheville1;26234256]Fallbrook is at a higher elevation and thus cooler.

Fallbrook is actually at a lower elevation than Temecula.

[HelloGoodbye]

I live in Fallbrook. The temp is lower than Temecula. The air quality is fine here except when there are wildfires or a fire on base then the air can get cloudy.