Air Quality Outlook for Saturday, August 16, 2016

Smoke Synopsis:

Cool moist weather continued to moderate fire activity with mostly smoldering occurring in interior portions of the fires. Warmer and drier conditions this weekend may increase fire activity and produce some noticeable smoke.  Winds will switch around to a more pattern, generally from the west and valley drainages should see a return to their typical upslope in the day and downslope at night pattern. Information on new fire starts from the recent lightning should become apparent over the next few days.  Look for late night and early morning smoke in valleys below any active burn areas.

Air Quality Outlook:
Site	Saturday August 16, 2014		Sunday August 17, 2014		Monday August 18, 2014		Comments
Colville	Good		Good		Moderate
Wellpinit	Good		Good		Moderate
Keller	Moderate		USG		USG
Omak	Moderate		Moderate		Moderate
Malott	Good		Moderate		Moderate
Brewster	Good		Good		Moderate
Winthrop	Good		Good		Moderate
Twisp	Good		Moderate		USG
Chelan	Good		Moderate		Moderate
Entiat	Good		Moderate		USG
Plain	Good		Good		Good
Leavenworth	Good		Moderate		Moderate
Wenatchee	Good		Good		Moderate
Ellensburg	Good		Moderate		Moderate
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:  Washington Air Quality Advisory for Smoke and Other Fine Particle Air Pollution En Español:  El Índice de la Calidad de Aire de Washington para Humo y Otra Contaminación del Aire causadas por Partículas Finas
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