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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Smog levels reach unhealthy levels in Southern California
Friday May 23, 2003
LOS ANGELES (AP) Reversing a trend of recent years, Southern
California smog levels reached unhealthy levels before Memorial
Day, air quality regulators said Friday.
Beginning May 16, the region had seven straight days where
ozone, a main ingredient in smog, reached unhealthy levels in
Riverside, desert areas such as Palm Springs and foothill
communities such as Santa Clarita and Pasadena, according to the
South Coast Air Quality Management District.
In recent years the air quality has remained good until about
mid-June.
A layer of warm air trapped smog over valleys and contributed to
the poor air quality, AQMD spokesman Sam Atwood said.
Cooler temperatures, coastal fog and mild breezes slightly
improved the air quality Friday, he added, and predicted the smog
would dissipate for the Memorial Day weekend.
The AQMD region includes all or parts of Los Angeles, Orange,
Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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