Some breezy conditions in the afternoons over the next couple of days will bring a good news/bad news situation. While the breezes could bring a temporary clearing of the smoke in some areas, it could also increase the intensity of the area wildfires, and that could result in some areas getting worse smoke-wise. Temperatures will still be very hot, likely reaching triple digits at the Reno Airport Wednesday before they slowly slid downward to the mid-90s Saturday and then to the lower 90s by the first of next week.

Every once in a while when talking about the possibility of thunderstorms, you might hear me mention the monsoonal flow. When most people hear the term monsoon, they immediately assume that it means a heavy rain. And while seasonal rains can be a result of monsoonal flow, a monsoon is actually a wind, not a rain.

The term comes from the Arabic term “mawsim,” which means “season.” And it is a seasonal change of wind, classically recognized in India. During their summer, the effect of the extra heating on the massive landmass creates an onshore wind off the Indian Ocean, which results in their rainy season.