<p>My son loves Pomona- unfortunately we visited in June and the air quality was horrible.
There was an inversion with high temps, so it was miserable as he has asthma.</p>
<p>So, my question, is this a rare occurrence ? Is the air quality bad most of the time? What percentage of the time is it bad?</p>
<p>I believe it is LA air that is pushed up against the mountains and stays there.</p>
<p>Again, we both love the place - the professors we visted were super.
I just do not know if it is ok for someone with asthma/allergies.</p>
<p>This was a post from April, I'd recommend doing a search as this is a topic that comes up a lot. It truly was not an issue for most aside from the summer months.</p>
<p>The smog is apparent in the summertime. If you are there from September through May (the school year) it won't be a problem.
If you are a runner or other endurance athete, or if you have asthma, you might have a problem with it during September and October, but I think the heat during those two months is more of an issue for students and residents.</p>
<p>Smog in Los Angeles in general is much improved from say, 10 years ago.
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<p>04-03-2008, 12:46 AM</p>
<p>The air is so much better than it was 50 years ago, it really is amazing. California is a success story in air quality that others in the world are looking at, but it isn't perfect yet. Actually, most people with allergies do better in Southern California than in other areas of the country because the air is dry. September and the first part of October are extremely hot and are the months you may notice the air quality. June had no smoggy days that I was aware of, by the way, and what you probably noticed was just a very hot, overcast, ugly day. :) They call it June Gloom here, but it usually lasts just a few days. The college students aren't even here then and I think you just had bad timing on your visit, so it shouldn't be an issue for him. Most of the year is glorious. The only months where air may be an issue for him is September and October. It is hot. It is basically a desert, after all. ;) </p>
<p>If he wants beautiful, perfect air maybe he should look in Colorado? They have incredible air. For a native Southern Californian, I can attest to the incredible improvement in the air here from when I was a kid! Wow. I am so proud of California even if the Los Angeles area still has a ways to go. We are doing it! </p>
<p>Here is a couple articles about the improved air quality of California:
BIOconversion</a> Blog: So. California Air Quality (AQMD) looks at Cellulosic Ethanol
Calif</a>. air quality shows improvement - The Stanford Daily Online</p>
<p>Yes, sarahsdad, you are correct. What people from other areas don't understand is that it is hot and dry here for part of the year. You can't run track in the middle of the day not because of perceived smog, but because it is too hot. The difference for the students is that everything is airconditioned here and in other areas there is no airconditioning. Also, people just don't wear many clothes, which includes shoes and boots. It also cools off every evening unlike many parts of the country that stay hot around the clock in the summer. Evening runs are popular. You really don't need a winter coat and sweaters are only good for a few months. It does get cold and it does rain. The cold feels different because it is a dry cold. Everyone is thrilled to see the rains come because it doesn't rain often, certainly not year around. When my D went to the East coast she was shocked that every month it rains whether it is hot or cold or somewhere in between. It hasn't rained here in months and won't for several more months. </p>
<p>The Pomona student body is active, outside, running and playing when others in the country are holed up. People get outside in California and stay there.My D had a very hard adjustment to the East where you go from building to building in parts of the year. She felt claustraphobic, but learned to love and appreciate the wonderful seasons, too. There are seasons here, but they are gentle ones. </p>
<p>There are thousands of colleges in the country. Why go somewhere you are worried about the air? I usually find it is people who like to dog California who like to make issues with smog. Fine, don't come. Goodness knows enough people are here already. ;)</p>