Thursday, August 28, 2014

8/28/2014 Fire and Smoke Issues no longer significant



Have we seen the last of the wildfire smoke issues in Washington for the summer of 2014?  It would seem that for now at least the existing wildfires are under control and virtually out.  There is still some minor interior burning here and there (as can be seen in the photo to the right of the Duncan fire from Aug. 27) and firefighters may continue to use controlled burns to strengthen containment lines so some people may see or smell a bit of smoke now and then but the monitors have stayed in the "green" or good air quality category for days.  So until or unless things change, posts to this blog will be infrequent.

Thank you for your interest!



Information about the status of closures and fire recovery efforts can be found at the links below:


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Smoke / Air Quality Forecast for Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Smoke Synopsis:
A bit cooler and breezy today in most locations.  Some gusty west to northwest winds 20-30 mph are possible late afternoon in and downstream of aligned canyons.  Some showers and thunderstorms are possible in the northern portion of central Washington.

We appear to have made it through the warmer, dry period this last weekend without generating any significant new fires and the firefighters were ready for Tuesday’s winds, so I would say we’re “out of the woods” – referring to smoke, not Washington’s trees.  This is reflected in the green forecast presented below.

Air Quality Outlook:
Site
Wednesday
August 20, 2014

Thursday
August 21, 2014

Friday
August 22, 2014

Comments
Colville
Good
Good
Good

Wellpinit
Good
Good
Good

Keller
Good
Good
Good

Omak
Good
Good
Good

Malott
Good
Good
Good

Brewster
Good
Good
Good

Winthrop
Good
Good
Good

Twisp
Good
Good
Good

Chelan
Good
Good
Good

Entiat
Good
Good
Good

Plain
Good
Good
Good

Leavenworth
Good
Good
Good

Wenatchee
Good
Good
Good

Ellensburg
Good
Good
Good

Yakima
Good
Good
Good

NOTE – in table above “USG” stands for “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”
For detailed information about the color coded air quality categories, please see:
Warning: These data have been obtained from automated instruments and have not been subjected to a quality assurance review to determine their accuracy. They are presented for public awareness and should not be considered final. Conditions such as power outages and equipment malfunctions can produce invalid data.

1 Since wildfires often occur in remote areas, air monitoring equipment may not be available. The following table provides a quick method to assess air quality in your area. For more detailed information you can go to the following site: http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/burning/wildfires/visibility.htm
Using the 5-3-1 Visibility Index
Distance you can see*
Your are:

You have:
·  An adult
·  A teenager
·  An older child
·  Age 65 and over
·  Pregnant
·  A young child
OR
·  Asthma
·  Respiratory illness
·  Lung or heart disease
5 miles
check visibility
minimize outdoor activity
3 miles
minimize outdoor activity
stay inside
1 miles
stay inside
stay inside
No matter how far you can see, if you feel like you are having health effects from smoke exposure, take extra care to stay inside or get to an area with better air quality.  You should also see your doctor or other health professional as needed.
* less reliable under high humidity conditions

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Air quality update on Tuesday 19 August 2014

Air quality remains Good in much of the state, with moderate air in parts of the Columbia basin. Wildfires are smoldering but few are producing large plumes. Last week’s unusually large dumping of rain was a game changer.

West- northwest winds will kick up as a dry cold front passes through eastern Washington today before turning southwest and subsiding somewhat by Wednesday evening. Though this can literally fan the flames, temperatures are not expected to rise too high and aid fire growth all that much. Smoke impacts from fires outside Washington is likely to be low. We should continue to see Good to Moderate air quality through the rest of the work week.

Check out the latest webcam image at Pasayten Wilderness vs. that 24 hours ago. Noticeably less haze.

Wildfire smoke forecasts will become less frequent as conditions improve.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ranil Dhammapala, PhD.
Atmospheric Scientist
Washington State Department of Ecology
P.O Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600
Tel: 360-407-6807
Fax: 360-407-7534
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday, August 18, 2014

Note: The portable smoke monitors in Plain, Entiat, and Keller have been removed from service.

Due to the reduced fire activity and consequential lack of significant smoke production, these portable monitors, installed this past month for increased coverage, have been removed from service. Tomorrow, the monitors in Brewster and Malott are scheduled for removal.  All State air quality monitors will remain in place and operational.  The monitors shall remain available for reinstallation up until Thursday (8/21) afternoon if needed.


Smoke/Air Quality Outlook for Monday-Wednesday, August 18-20, 2014

Smoke Synopsis:
Warm and dry conditions continue today.  If we see any increase in fire activity, it will most likely be later this afternoon.  There is a chance that the increased winds associated with the cold frontal passage on Tuesday could fire up some smoldering spots, but fire crews continue to work hard to take care of known hot spots.

The Keller smoke monitor was removed from service this morning and is being returned to the cache as smoke impacts continued to decrease. Valleys across north-central Washington are experiencing moderate air quality today due to generally poorer dispersion than we have been seeing.  This is expected to continue until the passage of the cold from on Tuesday afternoon or evening, which should clean out the entire basin – provided no new fires start, which is not anticipated by being watched closely.

Air Quality Outlook:
Site
Monday
August 18, 201

Tuesday
August 19, 2014

Wednesday
August 20, 2014

Comments
Colville
Moderate
Moderate
Good

Wellpinit
Moderate
Moderate
Good

Keller
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate

Omak
Moderate
Moderate
Good

Malott
Good
Good
Good

Brewster
Good
Good
Good

Winthrop
Moderate
Moderate
Good

Twisp
Moderate
Moderate
Good

Chelan
Good
Good
Good

Entiat
Good
Good
Good

Plain
Good
Good
Good

Leavenworth
Good
Moderate
Good

Wenatchee
Good
Good
Good

Ellensburg
Moderate
Moderate
Good

Yakima
Good
Good
Good

For detailed information about the color coded air quality categories, please see:
Warning: These data have been obtained from automated instruments and have not been subjected to a quality assurance review to determine their accuracy. They are presented for public awareness and should not be considered final. Conditions such as power outages and equipment malfunctions can produce invalid data.

1 Since wildfires often occur in remote areas, air monitoring equipment may not be available. The following table provides a quick method to assess air quality in your area. For more detailed information you can go to the following site: http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/burning/wildfires/visibility.htm
Using the 5-3-1 Visibility Index
Distance you can see*
Your are:

You have:
·  An adult
·  A teenager
·  An older child
·  Age 65 and over
·  Pregnant
·  A young child
OR
·  Asthma
·  Respiratory illness
·  Lung or heart disease
5 miles
check visibility
minimize outdoor activity
3 miles
minimize outdoor activity
stay inside
1 miles
stay inside
stay inside
No matter how far you can see, if you feel like you are having health effects from smoke exposure, take extra care to stay inside or get to an area with better air quality.  You should also see your doctor or other health professional as needed.
* less reliable under high humidity conditions