Smoke due to increase in Valley tonight

Smoke from the Washburn Fire is likely to return tonight after winds shifted the smoke south over the weekend.

“Smoke from the Washburn Fire … will return to Mono County as early as Monday afternoon," according to a statement issued by the National Weather Service in Reno. "Latest simulations show west winds pushing the smoke into portions of the Tahoe Basin, Alpine, Douglas and Lyon counties Monday evening into Tuesday morning.”

For those without air-conditioning, the smoke will make nights particularly miserable as temperatures warm up into the upper 90s for the first time in the year.

Both Monday and Tuesday are forecast to see high temperatures around 96 degrees with lows in the upper 50s over night.

The warm temperatures will bring a slight chance of thunderstorms starting Tuesday afternoon through the end of the week.

“The biggest concerns with any storms that develop will be for gusty and erratic outflow winds and dry lightning,” forecasters said.

Air quality in Minden on Sunday night was good, but very close to moderate according to fire.airnow.gov. Sensors showed moderate air quality at Stateline.

The fire has grown to more than 2,000 acres as of 5 p.m. Sunday with federal mapping indicating hot sports about twice that.

“The fire is burning in difficult terrain with continuous heavy fuels in and around the fire,” fire officials said.

Contributing to the fire is tree mortality from 2013-2015 that left dead standing and fallen fuel.

Firefighters are battling to try and save the giant Sequoias in the grove. The grove of around 500 Sequoias was one of the first sites protected when Abraham Lincoln reserved it for public use in 1864.