8/3/2016 Air Quality Outlook

We’re seeing good air quality throughout most of the state today. Some areas immediately downwind of fires can expect smoke impacts and as weather begins to shift and settle back into lighter winds and higher temps.  We may see some regional impacts from fires in Idaho and Eastern Oregon. Please check the Idaho and Oregon smoke blogs for updated information on fires in those states.

NWS Area Forecast Discussion. SYNOPSIS...

Our winds will be lighter today as Tuesday's storm system moves out of the region. Temperatures today will be cooler than average, but readings will climb quickly Thursday and Friday. Highs on Friday will be in the 90s. A slow moving low pressure system will bring a return of cooler temperatures and the chance for widely scattered showers and thunderstorms over the weekend.

Excellent US Wildfire interactive mapping tool which includes weather alerts current fire information, videos of fires, fire perimeters and social media posts: 

http://www.esri.com/services/disaster-response/wildfire

WA State ambient air monitoring network

https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/Default.ltr.aspx

Good ventilation forecasted throughout the day!

 

Northwest Activity Summary for August 3, 2016

One type 2 IMT mobilized (Kewa in WA). In the past 24 hours, the weather was windy and dry east of the Cascades. Minimal lightning and precipitation in Northeastern Washington and west of the Washington Cascades. Moderate initial attack with three new large fires in Eastern Washington. Increased containment on existing large fires in Washington and continued growth on existing large fires in Oregon.

Northwest Current Incident Details

Incidents not Previously Reported: 3

Kewa WA-COA-000082. IMT2. NW Team 9 (Goff). 15 miles S of Inchelium, WA. Start 8/2. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 2,500 acres (+2,500). 0% containment. Timber and brush. Active fire behavior with wind driven runs, torching and spotting. Residences and structures threatened. Area restrictions and road closures in effect. IMT2 NW Team 9 (Goff) has been ordered with in brief planned this afternoon.

Snake River WA-WFS-000368. IMT4. 12 miles NE of Pomeroy, WA. Start 8/2. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 11,000 acres (+11,000). 0% containment. Timber. Active fire behavior with uphill and wind driven runs. Road closures in effect. Evacuations in progress. Fire Mobilization authorized (8/2).

Road 10 WA-WFS-000704. IMT3. 8 miles NW of Moses Lake, WA. Start 8/2. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 4,000 acres (+4,000). 0% containment. Fire Mobilization authorized (8/2). Limited information.

Incidents Previously Reported

Range 12 WA-SPD-000344. IMT2. NW Team 8 (Johnson). 14 miles E of Yakima, WA. Start 7/30. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 176,600 acres (+1,600). 60% containment. Grass and brush. Minimal fire behavior with smoldering and creeping. Structures and Sage-grouse habitat threatened.

Antilon Lake WA-SES-000340. ICT3. 10 miles NW of Chelan, WA. Start 7/29. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 315 acres (-225). 90% containment. Timber, brush and grass. Minimal fire behavior. Reduction in acreage due to better mapping.

North Touchet WA-SES-020574. IMT3. 26 miles NE of Walla Walla, WA. Start 7/30. Full Suppression and Monitor. Cause: Human. 536 acres (+11). 95% containment. Timber, brush, and tall grass. Minimal fire behavior with smoldering. Fire Mobilization authorized (7/30).

South Ward Gap WA-WFS-000353. IMT3. 1 mile S of Prosser, WA. Start 7/31. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 5,000 acres (+0). 40% containment. Grass and brush. Minimal fire behavior with smoldering. Line improvement and mopup.

8/1/2016 Quick summary of WA fire and air quality status

The Range 12 fire grew 58,000 acres (!) yesterday and there is now a suppression team on site so more news should be available soon via Inciweb. Air quality at the monitor in Sunnyside reached Unhealthy (red) overnight. Please check out the information on the Smoke and Health tab above for more information if you have health concerns, or check with your doctor if you are feeling effects from breathing smoke.  Air quality conditions in Sunnyside overnight and into this morning are shown below:

Range 12 WA-SPD-000344. IMT2. 14 miles E of Yakima, WA. Start 7/30. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 70,000+ acres (+58,000). 0% containment. Grass and Brush. Active fire behavior with wind-driven runs. Sage-grouse habitat threatened. Structures threatened. Transfer of command to IMT2 NW Team 8 (Johnson) at 0800 today.

North Touchet WA-SES-020574. ICT3. 26 miles NE of Walla Walla, WA. Start 7/30. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 525 acres (+225). 80% containment. Grass and brush. Active fire behavior. Residences threatened. Fire Mobilization authorized (07/30).

Black Rock Road WA-SPD-000597. ICT3. 18 miles WSW of Odessa, WA. Start 7/30. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 16,600 acres (+1,600). 40% containment. Grass and brush. Active fire behavior with wind-driven runs. Structures threatened. Sage-grouse habitat threatened. Fire Mobilization authorized (07/30).

Antilon Lake WA-SES-000340. ICT3. 10 miles NW of Chelan, WA. Start 7/29. Full Suppression. Cause: Human. 540 acres (+40). 62% containment. Timber. Moderate fire behavior with uphill runs. Residence threatened. Road and area closures in effect.

7/31/2016 First fires of note for 2016

A number of fires are burning in Washington. It's still soon to get much information on them and none have pages on Inciweb yet meaning that suppression teams are not yet assigned or at least are still so new to the fire that the pages are not yet established. Watch the Inciweb link here: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/49/ for Washington fire news if/when teams are assigned. Until then this Northwest Coordination Center Link provides some information on fires in Oregon and Washington: http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/fire_info.aspx

The large and fast moving Range 12 fire outside of Yakima is producing enough smoke that it is very visible on the satellite photo below.  A quick survey of area air quality monitors indicates that conditions have not gotten worse than "Moderate" (yellow) so far. 

Predictions for the 2016 Fire Season

Every year, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, ID, tracks large scale weather patterns and predicts whether the coming fire season will be below normal, normal, or above normal across the U.S.  http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf
(These are only predictions though, and the actual severity of the fire season will depend on factors that are less predictable months in advance such as lightning occurrence and winds.)
7 day significant fire potential for Pacific NW
Fire Potential: Large fire potential remains low for the moment but will rise over the weekend and next week as the weather pattern undergoes a major shift. Consistently warmer and drier weather will boost fire danger for the next week or ten days across just about the entire geographic area. As the drying trend intensifies, we will have to watch for the next outbreak of lightning or strong, dry winds. http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/content/products/fwx/guidance/DL.pdf

 

3/29/2016 Spring Prescribed Burning

Spring can be a safe time to use prescribed fire in the forest to reduce accumulations of woody debris and brush, make wildlands more fire safe, and improve wildlife habitat. In addition, wildland fire fighters get a chance to hone their skills and get into physical condition in preparation for the wildfire season to come.

Seeing or smelling smoke? In Washington, the Department of Natural Resources regulates most uses of prescribed fire in wildlands if over 100 tons of material will be burned. They make daily go/no-go decisions considering the potential for smoke to impact the public. You can see if burning has been requested or approved near you by visiting this page:  https://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/protection/burnrequests/

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest posts general spring burning plans by Ranger District here: http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/okawen/home  Contact the local Ranger District office with concerns or questions.

Burn Ban Information Page

Cold weather and stagnant air can lead to an unhealthy build-up of wood smoke pollution.  Find out if there is a burn ban in your area by visiting the Washington state burn ban page:

http://waburnbans.net/

Now that was a bad wildfire year!

Wildfires in 2015 burned more acres in Washington State than the last 5 years combined, according to data from the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Abnormally warm temperatures, a snow drought last winter, early snow melt this spring and a mostly dry summer were among the reasons.

  

Year	Acres burned by Washington wildfires
2010	56,820
2011	17,480
2012	259,526
2013	152,603
2014	386,972
2015	1,005,423 (as of September 30th)

In addition to the tragic loss of lives and property, many people were forced to breathe heavily polluted air for several days. Eastern Washingtonians were exposed to an average of about 11 days where air quality was either Unhealthy or worse, compared to an average of about 7 days in recent years with bad wildfires.

As can be expected, air quality varied widely from place to place. Omak for instance saw air quality degrade much more than it did in past years, while Wenatchee did not see air that was as bad as they did in 2012. Not all smoke plumes are measured by the network of air quality monitoring sites. Several temporary monitors placed in smoke impacted communities at different times recorded poor air quality, but their data have not been considered in the above analysis.

Satellite picture on 23 August 2015 shows widespread smoke in the Pacific NW. Measured air quality conditions are also indicated in colored dots

While the human body can recover from short term exposure to wildfire smoke, it is well known that smoke inhalation causes breathing difficulties among people with prior respiratory or cardiovascular diseases. Elderly people, pregnant women, infants and children can be susceptible at lower pollution levels. Extreme smoke levels can trigger heart attacks or strokes, even among healthy people. 

As we transition from wildfire season to home heating season, the public is encouraged to observe any burn bans that might be imposed in case of stagnant air and take necessary precautions to limit exposure to impaired air. If you are a wood burner, make sure you only burn dry, seasoned firewood in small, hot fires. A low-polluting woodstove or pellet stove would make an excellent Christmas gift. Your family and neighbors will thank you for it.