08/02/2013 Wildfire smoke update

Updated Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) chart

Fire facts from the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center

Colockum Tarps. IMT2 (Nickey/Gales). 12 mi SE of Wenatchee, WA. Start 7/27,2013. Full Suppression. Grass,  brush, timber. Cause under investigation. 80,108 acres (+10,108). 30% containment. WA State Fire mobilization  authorized. Level 3 evacuations. Extreme fire behavior. Natural and cultural resources as well as wind farm  infrastructures remain at risk. Mile Marker 28. IMT2 (Rabe). 15 mi NE of Goldendale, WA. Start 7/24/2013. Full Suppression. Timber, brush.  Cause under investigation. 26,699 acres (-94). 75% containment. Hwy 97 re-opened. Moderate fire behavior.  Level 1 evacuation. Values at risk include commercial timber, cultural resources, power line infrastructure,  and T&E species.

Moore Point. ICT3 (Schmidt). 35 mi NW of Chelan, WA. Start 7/28/2013. Point Zone Protection. Timber.  Cause lightning. 1,500 acres (+414). 0% containment. Moderate fire behavior. Limited access. Lakeside cabins  threatened.

Local media updates Ellensburg  Goldendale   Wenatchee

Smoke Forecast

A record-breaking 1.10 inches of rain fell in Wenatchee yesterday and the radar indicates that some fell far enough south to hit the Colockum Tarps fire.  Rainfall in other areas ranged from a few hundredths of an inch to over three quarters of an inch. We will have to wait until some of the fire reports come in to judge how the fire behavior reacts to the rain. 

As for air quality, smoke dispersion looks good for today, Friday, with winds carrying the smoke rapidly eastward. However, there is a 24-hour period from midday Saturday through early afternoon Sunday when the winds will abate and smoke will likely accumulate near the fires.  If the rain has suppressed the fire activity sufficiently, we could see low smoke plume heights and high ground level smoke concentrations near the fires.  As the wind comes up Sunday evening that accumulated, smoke could drift through nearby communities and cause concentrations in the unhealthy for sensitive groups.