Hazy skies linger in Las Vegas due to California wildfire smoke
UPDATE: Smoke from California wildfires is still lingering Monday in the Las Vegas Valley.
Winds from the southwest began pushing wildfire smoke out of the valley on Monday afternoon.
Samuel Meltzer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said levels of smoke in the sky should continue to decrease throughout the day, but could return Monday night or on Tuesday depending on levels of fire containment and wind direction.
Weather service data from Harry Reid International Airport showed south-southwest winds bringing smoky conditions between 8:55 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. on Monday morning.
A representative from Clark County Department of Environment & Sustainability said the nearby wildfires will likely affect air quality at least through Friday.
The department’s air quality forecast predicts ozone that is unhealthy for sensitive groups through Tuesday and moderate through Friday, along with levels of smaller particulate matter pollution from wildfire smoke to be moderate through Wednesday. The representative said they haven’t spoken with their forecaster about when the smoke will subside.
The Gifford Fire has burned over 65,000 acres in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties and is three percent contained as of Monday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Where is all the smoke coming from? The Gifford Fire north of Santa Barbara has burned nearly 50k acres and due to a persistent southwest flow, we can expect to see these smoky conditions for at least another couple of days. @nvwx @cawx pic.twitter.com/0AlZWkwRgU
— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) August 4, 2025
Original story continues below.
As smoke from California wildfires drifted over Southern Nevada, a haze blanketed the Strip and Las Vegas Valley on Saturday.
The smoke was expected to last at least into Monday, according to Andrew Gorelow, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Gorelow said the smoke is from a large fire burning in two counties in neighboring California.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Gifford Fire had burned nearly 24,000 acres in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties as of Saturday afternoon.
The agency listed the fire as being only 5 percent contained.
Gorelow said forecasted wind patterns for the region means the smoke was likely to remain in parts of Southern Nevada through Sunday and into Monday.
As of early Saturday afternoon, the website for the Clark County Division of Air Quality listed several areas in the western and northern parts of the valley as being in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range.
Those groups include people with lung or heart disease, and children and seniors.
Near Paul Meyer Park in west Las Vegas on Saturday, the website noted an air quality index reading of 140, which was close to the level of “unhealthy,” which is the category where “everyone may begin to experience health effects,” according to the county’s air quality page.
Temperatures were expected to stay in the triple digits Saturday with wind speeds at 12 miles per hour, the weather service said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X. Contact Arlette Yousif at ayousif@reviewjournal.com. Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.
