The National Meteorological Service activated the yellow alert this morning in La Plata. The warning implies that “the area will be affected by rains, of persistent characteristics and by moments of moderate or locally strong intensity. Accumulated precipitation values between 30 and 60 mm are expected, and may be exceeded occasionally.” On the other hand, they assure that the smoke and the strong smell of burning will persist in our city, at least until the afternoon.
The agency indicates that heavy rains are expected in the morning and showers in the afternoon. By late afternoon the rain would stop falling and the sky would be mostly cloudy, where there will only be a 10% chance of showers. The estimated minimum temperature for today is 15 degrees while the maximum is 23 degrees. On the other hand, the wind will start blowing from the east and will rotate to the southwest and north.
For Wednesday the SMN predicts that the thermometer will oscillate between 16 degrees and 25 degrees. The day will begin with mists and then the sky will be partly cloudy. On Thursday, meanwhile, the temperature will rise, which will be located at a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 26. In addition, it will be partly cloudy in the morning and mostly cloudy in the afternoon.
For its part, Friday will be somewhat cloudy, with a minimum of 18 degrees and a maximum of 27 degrees. At night gusts of up to 50 kilometers per hour could be registered.
fog and smoke
As happened yesterday, the City woke up with a significant bank of fog that, as the hours passed, transformed into a dense cloud of smoke that affected visibility and was felt by smell, especially for those who suffered from respiratory conditions.
Thus, the people of La Plata continue this Tuesday feeling the smell of burned grass with more intensity. It even entered the houses and took over the environment. Also, more than one passerby who walks along the diagonals is left with smoked clothes and not to mention those who feel discomfort in their eyes and throat due to the phenomenon.
Given the concern and consultation of the people of La Plata who were unaware of the origin of what was happening in the sky of the City, the Municipality of La Plata reported that the phenomenon corresponds to the smoke of a forest fire that developed in the department of San José. , south of Uruguay.
In this sense, the Commune’s Hydrometeorology Department explained that both the smoke and the smell of burning reached our city due to the action of the northeast wind that carried the ashes.
Said unit also announced that during the first hours of this morning these environmental conditions will continue, and that they may even be intensified by the presence of fog banks, like yesterday at dawn, which were already predicted.
The same source said that these weather conditions will continue until at least tonight, when the winds are expected to rotate to the southeast, dissipating the columns of smoke in the City.
Faced with this situation, the Community Health Secretariat advised those with respiratory problems to quickly consult their family doctor or go to a health center in case of presenting symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath or bronchospasm.
Although it was not considered that the flow of smoke could complicate the health of people who do not have pre-existing respiratory diseases, it is advisable not to be outdoors more than necessary or to carry out physical activities in open spaces.
The fire started over the weekend and the smoke, since this Sunday, has been reaching the City of Buenos Aires and a large part of the AMBA. Yesterday afternoon it was intense in our city and it still persists this Tuesday. In this context, after 2:00 p.m. yesterday, it was possible to observe, mainly in public spaces such as squares and parks, the dense smoke that caused various inconveniences to those who passed through those places.
Despite the recommendations, yesterday the presence of neighbors walking or jogging outdoors was observed, an activity that was requested not to take place while the smoke persists in the City. The dense smell of smoke could be perceived from the early hours of the morning, but given the morning fog it seemed that the smoke had not reached La Plata with the same intensity that it had in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
But in addition to the source of fire in southern Uruguay, at midday yesterday the Barracas Iron Mountain warehouse, which caught fire in 2014 and claimed ten fatalities, caught fire again, adding more smoke to the environment. Firefighters from the City of Buenos Aires battled against the flames of the warehouse, located at Gaspar Jovellanos 1300, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of La Boca and the spotlights were fanned on the rear of it.
