By Trina A. San Agustin
Variety News Staff

THE National Weather Service in Tiyan yesterday forecast that the haze that has been looming over Guam will last until Friday afternoon.
The advisory issued by the Guam Environmental Protection Agency and the Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense was to expire at 12 noon today.
According to GEPA spokesperson Tammy Andersen, they will reevaluate the haze conditions before the advisory expires and determine whether to keep the advisory until Friday afternoon.
NWS meteorologist in charge Genevieve Cruz Miller told Variety that the haze is from smog from the Asian continent.
“Because the wind pattern has been pretty persistent up there (in the area of Korea), the circulation pattern was able to bring all these winds directly into the Mariana Islands area,” Miller said. “Imagine winds coming from Korea, Japan, and east of Japan, and the northeast winds coming into our area persistently for four to five days. That’s how it has reached us for the past two days.”
Miller predicted that northeastern wind pattern would break last night and winds would pick up by tonight and relieve Guam and the Northern Marianas of the haze.
“The funny thing is that we have so many things going into the mix, including your typical pollution from the Asian area. We are not tracking the contents of the wind; we are only assuming that it is pollution from the Asian continent,” she said.
Miller added that there is a little of the Anatahan volcanic dust in the haze. Winds, according to NWS yesterday, were coming in from the north, bringing in some Anatahan volcanic plume this way.
“It is not a heavy plume. If it was a heavy plume, Saipan would smell it, so it is just a fine dust coming from Anatahan,” she continued.
“The pattern that brought it (haze) down here is breaking up. If you get rid of that major source, then it should be all good. So the haze is not expected to leave the area until Friday afternoon,” she added.
Miller also said that because of the high surf around the island, there may be some sea sprays in the haze as well.
High surf advisory
In other news, high surf advisory will remain in effect until 6 a.m. Saturday along north facing and west facing reefs.
NWS said surf of 12 to 14 feet should be expected along northern reefs and 7 to 9 feet on west facing reefs.
“This includes Y’pao Beach, Tarague, Nimitz, and Gun Beach,” NWS said in an advisory.
Residents can expect to see minor costal inundation along the northern beaches during high tide. NWS also advised that computer generated surf predictions show even higher surf on Saturday.
“Beach goers should keep alert to these conditions and warnings from their local officials. High surf means that dangerous surf is occurring and producing life-threatening rip currents,” the advisory read.