10/03/12 Wildfire Smoke Forecast 0800 PDT

10-03-12 Air Monitor Update 0800 PDT

Central Region Ecology Air Quality Report   Chelan County: Wenatchee- Moderate Leavenworth-  Good Chelan- Good Okanogan County: Omak - Good Winthrop – Good Twisp-   Good Kittitas County: Ellensburg- Good Yakima County: Yakima- Good White Swan- Good Toppenish- Good Klickitat County: Goldendale- Moderate   Eastern Region Ecology Air Quality Report Blue Mt. Area Clarkston  -  good Dayton  -   good Walla Walla  -  good Palouse Area Pullman  -  good Rosalia  -  good LaCrosse  -  good Northeast Colville  -  good Wellpinit  -  good

Central Washington Air Quality Report from Forest Service Temporary Monitor Locations Chelan County: Wenatchee(Confluence Park)- Moderate Cashmere- Moderate Entiat- Good Okanogan County: Pateros- offline/missing data Grant County: Quincy-  Moderate Kittitas County: Liberty- Hazardous Cle Elum- Good Klickitat County Trout Lake- Good       Eastern cont., Ecology Air Quality Report Columbia Basin Kennewick  -  unhealthy for sensitive groups Mesa  -moderate  Moses Lake  - unhealthy for sensitive groups Ritzville  - good  Spokane Area Spokane - good Liberty Lake - good

Another very useful webpage for a grab hourly and 24 hour data, Puget Sound Clean Air and their air quality tool: http://airgraphing.pscleanair.org/

10-03-12 Smoke Forecast 0800 PDT

Air Quality forecast, 8AM Wednesday 3 October 2012
Issued by Ranil Dhammapala, Washington State Dept. of Ecology

Good clearing of smoke yesterday as a strong cold front dropped through eastern WA. However blowing dust was apparent at several monitors across the Columbia Basin. Moses Lake, Kennewick (both Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) and Mesa (Moderate) seem to be the sites that saw most dust, though these sites were probably impacted by smoke from a new fire in the Omak area. The Spokane and Colville monitors, though currently recording Good air, did see some dust as well. For wildfire smoke, Liberty is recording Hazardous conditions thanks to high smoke impacts this morning, while Wenatchee, Toppenish, Goldendale, Cashmere and Quincy are all showing Moderate air. The Northwest Clean Air Agency is looking into the reasons behind elevated readings at Maple Falls (currently Unhealthy).

Winds turn North to northeasterly to easterly (depending on the area) today and remain moderately strong through the next few days. If eastern WA somehow arranged for these winds to relieve their woes by diverting smoke into western WA, unfortunately they miscalculated: the same winds are likely to transport smoke from Idaho/ Montana wildfires to the Palouse and Spokane areas by Thursday morning.

Wildfire smoke is likely to impact the areas closest to the fires, as well as locations further west. Models bring the smoke all the way over the Pacific ocean with morning and nighttime impacts in many areas south of Seattle. This pattern, with some afternoon clearing, is likely to persist through Friday at least.

Red flag warning for fire growth continues in the extreme southwest WA today. Fire warnings blanket all of western WA through Thursday night, due to dry air, above normal temperatures and windy conditions.

The National Weather Service issued an Air Quality Alert for much of the east slopes of the Cascades through noon Thursday:
http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=otx&wwa=air%20quality%20alert

There continues to be a burn ban east of the Cascade crest.  The Governor’s proclamation allows for local fire departments to still issue written permits that approve specific burning activities.  Please work with your local fire jurisdiction and your Ecology burn team staff to get the needed written authorization for agricultural burning. 

Thanks

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Ranil Dhammapala, PhD.
Atmospheric Scientist
Washington State Department of Ecology

 

Ecology Air Quality Monitoring Network Map: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/Default.ltr.aspx

  - when browsing the monitoring web page, click on the dots and you can then click on “View more information” to find out the latest hourly values (even if the dot is grey)