Central and Eastern WA: shifting winds will bring smoke from the north
Smoke impacts continue in Central and Eastern WA from local and regional fires. Fires of note include the Pioneer and Easy Fires in North Central WA, the Retreat Fire near Yakima, and the Williams Mine Fire in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Canadian smoke has also entered the mix today--smoke from the Calcite Creek Fire in Southern British Columbia is currently impacting the Methow Valley.
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| Fires of concern and recent satellite fire detections |
The Retreat Fire outside of Yakima is now 53% contained, but active fire conditions today with strong winds will lead to Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air quality southeast of the fire in Yakima Valley.
Active fire conditions are also expected on the Pioneer and Easy Fires today due to strong W/NW winds, which will also push smoke to the Methow Valley and Stehekin.
The Williams Mine fire in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest started yesterday and has grown to 2,000 acres, and will likely increase further today. Shifting N/NE winds tomorrow could contribute to smoke impacts in the Columbia Gorge and communities southwest of the fire towards the Vancouver area.
Smoke from the Calcite Creek Fire just across the border in Southern British Columbia will impact the region today through the week due to continued winds from the north and northeast. Most of central and eastern WA should expect Moderate to occasional Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air quality. Communities closest to active fires can expect occasional Unhealthy air quality. Returning westerly winds this weekend will improve air quality.
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| GOES-W satellite imagery from August 6 showing smoke plumes from the Williams Mine Fire in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the Retreat Fire in Yakima County, and fires in North Central WA and Southern British Columbia. |
Western WA: Possibility of wildfire smoke in Western WA later this
week
Graeme Carvlin, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
The westerly winds that have been blowing smoke away from
Western Washington are expected to change course later this week. Winds
blowing from east to west will likely bring smoke into the region. The
four main fires that may contribute are:
- The Shetland Creek fire – located 100 miles north of
the US-Canada border in British Columbia, currently 67,000 acres
- The Calcite Creek fire – located on the Canadian side
of the Okanogan National Forest, currently 10,000 acres
- The Pioneer fire – Lake Chelan, currently 35,000 acres
- The Retreat fire – Yakima, currently 41,000 acres
Wildfire smoke could arrive in Western Washington Wednesday night into Thursday morning. We may see an oscillating pattern where smoke comes into the region overnight then clears out somewhat during the day. This could be the case for Thursday night into Friday morning as well. Areas near the Cascades, which are closer to the fires, will likely see more smoke than central Puget Sound and the rest of Western WA. Thurston County also may reach Moderate air quality.
Winds are expected to change back to westerly this weekend, which should help clear out any smoke. Air quality could reach Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) near the Cascades and Moderate with peaks into USG across the Puget Sound region.
Any idea how the smoke might be this week at Paradise at Mount Rainier? I know it's hard to predict individual areas but I'm not sure if that's part of the expected USG Cascades or different. The map looks more moderate but the text suggests possibly otherwise...
ReplyDeleteI would expect mostly moderate air quality tomorrow, and moderate with occasional USG Thursday.
DeleteI'm wondering if it would be a good idea to publish how wildfires are fought, like the logistics of fire breaks, water scoopers, airtankers, etc. Because with all of this forest being burned down, what would it take to more efficiently contain fires in the future?
ReplyDeleteThat is a pretty complex topic but there are many online resources that discuss wildfire fighting strategies and complexities. Large wildfires in remote areas can be managed, but it takes a good rain event to extinguish them. Note that fire suppression has turned out to not be a good long-term strategy for land management since it only leads to more wildfire risk in the future. Ecosystems rely on fire as part of the natural cycle. We are now dealing with the repercussions of nearly a century of practicing fire suppression. You may find these previous comment replies helpful, which note some of the strategies used and limitations:
Deletehttps://wasmoke.blogspot.com/2022/10/high-pressure-trapping-smoke-imapcts.html?showComment=1665161111871#c5960259129500147452
https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/2022/10/stagnant-air-through-weekend-brief.html?showComment=1665417844425#c3446547577665460349
Also, here are a couple other useful links: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildfire-crisis and https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/wfmmc-final-report-09-2023.pdf
DeleteI appreciate these resources, thank you! I will give them a read.
DeleteQuestion: how do we tell the difference between feeling the effects of a century's worth of fire suppression vs. climate change? It feels all jumbled, not to mention some of these fires are man-made.
DeleteYour question would make an excellent PhD thesis. From what I understand, climate change is responsible for shifting weather patterns that affect timing and duration of wildfire events. Fire suppression, though, increases the likelihood of more extreme wildfires because of the prolonged buildup of vegetation. There is an interesting study that discusses it here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240325113210.htm
Deletethink the forecast has changed with off shore flow?
ReplyDeleteImpacts in western WA should still be mostly moderate with occasional USG (especially closest to the Cascades) even with the east winds pushing smoke into the region (most of the smoke should stay aloft and skies will appear hazy). Southwest WA is currently observing smoke impacts from the Williams Mine fire--Southwest Clean Air Agency has also issued an Air Quality Advisory for wildfire smoke in most of their counties (Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Skamania) through Friday morning. Onshore flow returns this weekend.
Deletethank you
ReplyDelete