LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- After the driest year on record in 2013, California is facing its driest January ever, and the dryness mixed with pollution is unhealthy, officials say.
A stuck high-pressure zone off the West Coast of the United States is creating dry conditions across California and the Southwest, and the stagnancy is trapping fine particles close to the ground, leaving a buildup of sooty haze that poses a public health threat, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.