Air Quality Forecast-NE Washington Regional Fires- Wednesday September 16, 2015

Air Quality Forecast-NE Washington Regional Fires- Wednesday September 16, 2015

Prepared by Mark Fitch (mfitch@nps.gov), Air Resource Advisor & Carolyn Kelly (ckelly8384@gmail.com), Air Resource Advisor Trainee

Smoke Summary: The passing cold front will continue to bring cooler temperatures and breezy conditions are expected to last through Thursday. Spotty showers are possible but most likely Wednesday night into Thursday. Interior islands and pockets will continue to smolder and burn for the next few weeks. Light smoke and haze can be expected around these areas. Although burnout operations are ongoing, a decrease in fire activity and an increase in cloud cover, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity levels will allow for most areas to expect good air quality into the weekend. Extended Outlook:  Changing weather patterns and forecasted rain should lower fire activity leading to improved air quality over the NE region of Washington. Drier, fall-like conditions can be expected Friday into the weekend. *Monitoring stations for Tonasket, Orient, and Kettle Falls have been shut down due to machine malfunction as of 09/10/2015.
Site	Air Quality			Comments
	September 15 Tuesday	September 16 Wednesday	September 17 Thursday
Spokane Metro	Good	Good	Good	Communities nearest to the fires may see some haze and smoke from burnout activities on local fires.
Davenport	Good	Good	Good
Colville	Good	Good	Good
Kettle Falls*	Good	Good	Good
Wellpinit	Good	Good	Good
Orient*	Good	Good	Good
Inchelium	Good	Good	Good
Omak	Good	Good	Good
Nespelem	Moderate	Good	Good
Republic**	Moderate	Moderate	Good
Tonasket*	Good	Good	Good
Disclaimer: Conditions may change quickly. These predictions are based on anticipated weather and fire activity.  The air quality outlook is based on data from automated instruments that have not been subjected to a quality assurance review. AQI’s estimated for sites with air monitors.

 For information on what each Air Quality Index color code means, click on the “Smoke and Health” tab.