Over the summer, warm ocean waters from the strengthening El Niño sent several tropical storms to Southern California, helping reduce smog across the region.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District said Southern California had 83 days over the summer where ozone exceeded federal health standards, down from 92 days in 2014. Meteorologist Joe Cassmassi told the Los Angeles Times the rain flushed out pollution at a time when hot, stagnant weather ordinarily pushes ozone to its highest levels. If this El Niño is as strong as the El Niño of 1982-83, Cassmassi said, more rainstorms will cause less bad air days over the winter and next summer. During that El Niño season, he added, "ozone values dipped precipitously."
Although there was an improvement in air quality, Allen Hernandez of the Sierra Club said "80-something bad air days is still not something to be proud of." The South Coast Air Quality Management District needs to show it's "serious about reducing bad air days" by enacting "tougher restrictions on gas plants and refineries that are hurting our communities," Hernandez told the Times.
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