The reason why this air is not getting any better is because it has no where to go, and it actually gets much worse at night than during the peak heat of the day
That's because high pressure in the upper atmosphere creates sinking air, meaning air moving in a downward motion. But not only is the atmosphere working against us, but it is the topography and geography of the valley as well. The valley is surrounded by mountains which essentially creates a trapping mechanism preventing wind from blowing the pollution out.
Think of it as a pot of feathers and the layer of warm air is like the lid that is too small for that pot. During the night, the lid is placed on top of the feathers which causes them to compress- all of that bad air is pressed down on top of us. During the day, as the layer of cooler air at ground level is warmed by the sun- the "lid" is lifted off of the feathers causing them to expand.
So, during the peak heat of the day the air quality is actually at its best measurement.
This week however the air looks particularly bad because it is mixed with water vapor from the rain last week. The pollution particles in the air are allowing the water vapor to condense upon them, creating the thick haze that we see out the door.
Those pollution particles are mainly coming from your car and all of the cars north of here as well. If it did not rain last week, the air would actually look less hazy.
Looking ahead, we will see much clearer skies by Wednesday.