Every summer, the Fourth of July brings air quality concerns. Smoke from fireworks is composed of particle pollution and toxic compounds, and air quality monitoring sites in Washington tend to register above-average values on the Air Quality Index (AQI) during and following Independence Day celebrations. These elevated AQI values generally persist into the early morning hours of July 5 but can linger longer if atmospheric conditions trap the pollution near the surface. The air pollution generated by these events impacts wildlife, the environment, and people – especially those in sensitive groups.
So, many communities in Washington can expect air quality to diminish the night of the 4th into the morning of the 5th, especially in urban areas with lots of fireworks. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has already set their AQI forecast to “moderate” for this time.
Across the state, fireworks are prohibited in most urban areas. This includes Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Yakima, Spokane, and Bellingham. If you’re not sure what’s allowed where you live, contact your local fire department. As they like to say at the Department of Natural Resources: don’t set the state on fire.
National Weather Service (NWS) forecast
Today (July 3), there is a small chance of thunderstorms and lightning in northeast Washington and northern Idaho. This means new fires could start in that region. Starting Thursday (July 4), conditions will be dry and temperatures hot throughout the state. Afternoon highs will be 10-15 degrees above normal and an excessive heat warning has been issued for central and eastern Washington. See the graphic below from the National Weather Service (Spokane) for more details.
This forecast means an elevated risk of wildfires over the weekend. Fully extinguish campfires, dispose of cigarettes in ashtrays, avoid dragging trailer chains, and otherwise be careful doing anything that could create heat or sparks.
NWS Caption: "Our first significant heat wave of the season will develop this weekend and persist well into next week. The early to middle part of next week has the potential to threaten records with moderate to major values of Heat Risk. Hot and dry weather will also lead to increasing fire danger as our landscape becomes increasingly dry."
Fireworks and wildfires
Humans are responsible for starting at least 85% of all wildfires. And we start more wildfires on July 4 than on any other day of the year. Between 1992 and 2015, more than 7,000 wildfires were sparked nationwide on this date alone. Given the state’s
current drought conditions, we encourage everyone to consider attending a public fireworks display rather than lighting fireworks at home, where injuries and accidental fires are more likely to occur.
Wildfire season is here
Wildfires have already begun across Washington. A few communities have seen evacuations and poor air quality. As we move deeper into this year’s wildfire season, please ensure you know how to protect yourself and those around you. This means:
- Stocking up on N95 or KN95 masks
- Using a HEPA air filter or DIY box fan filter
- Knowing where to access up-to-date wildfire, smoke, and air quality information
Good morning. Noticed the smoke coming in yesterday (7/4) about 3 pm to Bridgeport,WA. Wondering where it's coming from and what the outlook for it might be. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe Pioneer fire has been producing more smoke as a result of the heat wave, which is expected to continue well into next week. The local smoke outlooks has Pioneer fire forecasts, but in general you should expect intermittent smoke impacts throughout the summer from the nearby fire, since Bridgeport is downwind. Due to your proximity, you will likely see the worst smoke impacts in the cooler hours (night/mornings) and some clearing during the day when the plume is more buoyant and higher up. You can see the smoke being generated here: https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/sector_band.php?sat=G18§or=pnw&band=GEOCOLOR&length=12&dim=1 and a 5-day smoke plume forecast here: https://enviwa.ecology.wa.gov/HTMLPages/hysplit_plume_gif.html
DeleteThank you for keeping us updated! We now regularly watch your updates and find it fantastically helpful!
ReplyDeleteOne question I have: Are fires generally named for where they are geographically and who names fires? I would love to see more fires named coloring in the cause of the fire when it is human-caused. I'd imagine something like 'The Independence Day Fire' may be more impactful when getting people to thoughtfully consider risky activities.
Yes typically wildfires are named for a nearby geographic feature, road, or landmark. It's named by the incident responder or dispatcher. Here are a couple nice discussions on the topic: https://www.redzone.co/2022/09/19/how-do-wildfire-names/ and https://www.bmefire.com/how-do-wild-fires-get-their-name/ Despite more fires being started by humans, lightning is the cause of the majority of large uncontrollable fires. Human-caused fires are typically in accessible areas where firefighters can manage it, but lightning-caused fires can be remote and inaccessible which allows them to grow until wetting rains occur. The Pioneer fire has been burning for a month now, and was likely a structure fire, but it's less common for structure fires to cause wildfires in inaccessible terrain.
DeleteThank you so much for such a thorough answer. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. I am a native eastern Washingtonian, but relocated to east after many years on the west side for work. As much as I adore hot summers, this annual smoke out will be the reason I retire back on the west side. I can say with certainty that my childhood and youth were not filled with smoke the way the past seven years have been...
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