9-24-12 1800 Governor Extends Burn Ban

The Governor's Office issued the following news release late Monday:

 

Gov. Gregoire extends Eastern Washington burn ban

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire tonight extended a burn ban for all counties east of the Cascade crest, prohibiting all outdoor burning through midnight Sunday, Sept. 30. An emergency proclamation declaring a State of Emergency remains in effect, and allows continued air support from Washington's National Guard to help fight ongoing wildfires.

"One reason firefighters have been able to start gaining ground is because they're not being diverted to additional, human-caused fires," Gregoire said. "With the warm, dry conditions expected to continue through at least next weekend, fire danger remains very high. I appreciate the cooperation of Washingtonians who have refrained from burning, and recognize that fire crews need our support and help to keep people safe and protect property."

The burn ban prohibits all outdoor burning, including but not limited to:

• Campfires
• Bonfires
• Residential yard debris clean-up, trash disposal, land clearing, weed abatement and agricultural burning activity
• Ignition of fireworks.

Liquid fueled or gas-fueled stoves are permitted provided the use is conducted over a non-flammable surface and at least five feet from flammable vegetation. Charcoal grills are permitted at private residences under the same conditions.

The proclamation issued by the governor:

• Directs state agencies and departments to continue to utilize state resources and to do everything reasonably possible to assist affected political subdivisions in an effort to respond to and recover from the fires;
• Notes the order into active state service of the organized militia of Washington state, to include the National Guard and the State Guard remains in effect; and
• Instructs the Washington State Emergency Operations Center to continue to coordinate all event-related assistance to the affected areas.

Meanwhile, Gregoire continues to urge Washingtonians to protect themselves from smoke-filled air. The state's Department of Ecology is monitoring air quality across Washington state. Today, air quality in Central Washington is "unhealthy" for everyone. And in both Wenatchee and Ellensburg air quality is worse and registers as "hazardous" and "very unhealthy" respectively. Pateros and Entiat also are reporting "very unhealthy" air.

Farther south of Toppenish, and in much of Eastern Washington, residents are experiencing air quality that is "unhealthy for sensitive groups" such as the elderly, very young children and people with breathing difficulties, heart disease or lung disease. Today Walla Walla and the Tri-Cities are enjoying a reprieve from unhealthy air.

Light winds over the Cascades today are not expected to help much with smoke in the hard-hit communities. Computer models predict some moderate winds later today, which could lead to good dispersion in Ellensburg, Leavenworth and the Methow Valley.

To check for air quality monitoring information, visit: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/air_monitoring_data/WAQA_Intro_Page.html

Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Health is providing answers to frequently asked questions about wildfire smoke here: http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/OutdoorAir/SmokeFromFires.aspx

9/24/12 1330 Experimental Smoke Dispersion Forecasts Now Available

Starting today (September 24, 2012), a daily report summarizing predictions of smoke impacts for eastern Washington from the BlueSky Framework, an experimental smoke dispersion modeling system, will be posted on the WAsmoke blog. The predictions are for informational purposes only because many approximations are used which leads to a high degree of uncertainty in the results.

The image below is an example of output from the BlueSky Framework and depicts predicted smoke impacts from the Washington fires at 4PM PDT today, September 24. The colors do NOT correspond to the Washington Air Quality Advisory values. Rather, greens indicate low smoke concentrations, yellow and orange are moderate concentrations, and red and purple are high concentrations. A full report can be found at the  Experimental Smoke Model Predictions link on this page under "OTHER RESOURCES."

9/24/12 Air quality still 'hazardous' or 'very unhealthy' from top to near bottom of Central Washington

Washington Department of Ecology news

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Sept. 24, 2012

Air quality still ‘hazardous’ or ‘very unhealthy’ from top to near bottom of Central Washington 

            SPOKANE – From Winthrop and Okanogan to Toppenish, air quality in Central Washington is “unhealthy” for everyone today. And in both Wenatchee and Ellensburg air quality is worse and registers as “hazardous” and “very unhealthy” respectively. Pateros and Entiat also are reporting “very unhealthy” air.               
Farther south of Toppenish, and in much of Eastern Washington, residents are experiencing air quality that is “unhealthy for sensitive groups” such as the elderly, very young children and people with breathing difficulties, heart disease or lung disease. Today Walla Walla and the Tri-Cities are enjoying a reprieve from unhealthy air.

Light winds over the Cascades today are not expected to help much with smoke in the hard-hit communities. Computer models predict some moderate winds later today, which could lead to good dispersion in Ellensburg, Leavenworth and the Methow Valley.

All residents in the Wenatchee and Ellensburg areas should stay indoors and curtail their physical activities both indoors and outside. Doors and windows should remain closed. In the remainder of Central and Eastern Washington, common sense precautions should be taken by everyone, but sensitive groups, such as children, the elderly and heart patients, are particularly vulnerable.

The biggest health threat comes from the fine particles in smoke. These can cause burning eyes, runny nose, bronchitis and other illnesses. Smoky air also can aggravate heart and lung diseases, and even lead to death.

The Washington State Department of Health is providing answers to frequently asked questions about wildfire smoke.

Weather systems over the weekend in Eastern Washington did cause some dispersion and didn’t set off new wildfires, but they also transported some smoke from central Idaho wildfires further west into Washington.

You can find news and information about smoke and wildfires from a variety of state, local and federal agencies on a new blog, http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/.

Central Washington University is providing information for students and their families online.

The National Weather Service has issued an Air Quality Alert for much of eastern Washington.

Gov. Gregoire has issued a burn ban in Eastern Washington, which is in effect until midnight Monday.

Media Contact: Jani Gilbert, Communications Manager, 509-329-3495; cell, 509-990-9177; jani.gilbert@ecy.wa.gov.

Joint blog on wildfire smoke and related information: http://wasmoke.blogspot.com

Check for air quality monitoring information: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/air_monitoring_data/WAQA_Intro_Page.html

Washington Department of Health smoke information: http://www.doh.wa.gov/Newsroom.aspx

Frequently asked questions about wildfire smoke: http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/OutdoorAir/SmokeFromFires/FrequentlyaskedQuestionsaboutWildfireSmoke.aspx

Central Washington University information: http://www.cwu.edu/table-mountain-fire

Read the Governor’s emergency declaration: http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1967&newsType=1

National Weather Service Air Quality Alert: http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=otx&wwa=air%20quality%20alert

Ecology’s website: http://www.ecy.wa.gov

Ecology’s social media: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/about/newmedia.html

###

Broadcast version

From Winthrop and Okanogan to Toppenish, air quality in Central Washington is “unhealthy” today.  And air quality is registers as “hazardous” in Wenatchee and “very unhealthy” in Ellensburg.  Pateros and Entiat also are reporting “very unhealthy” conditions.

All residents in the Wenatchee and Ellensburg areas should stay indoors and curtail their physical activities both indoors and outside. Doors and windows should remain closed.

Farther south of Toppenish, and in much of Eastern Washington today, air quality rates as “unhealthy for sensitive groups” such as the elderly, young children and people with breathing difficulties.

People can keep tabs on smoke at wa-smoke-dot-blogspot-dot- com.

Jani Gilbert

Dept. of Ecology

Communications Manager, Eastern Regional Office

9/24/12 Wildfire Smoke Forecast 0800 PDT

Air Quality forecast, 8AM Monday 24 September 2012
Issued by Ranil Dhammapala, Washington State Dept. of Ecology
Air quality in Cashmere and Wenatchee remain Hazardous, while Pateros, Entiat and Ellensburg are reporting Very Unhealthy air. Trout Lake, Quincy, Leavenworth, Omak, Chelan, the Methow, Yakima and Toppenish have Unhealthy air. White Swan, Goldendale and Cle Elum are recording Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. Air in the southern part of the Columbia Basin appears good at present, while most other monitors in the Basin, with a few exceptions are in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category.
The weather systems over the weekend that were supposed to alleviate some smoke in eastern WA also got up to a little mischief in the process. While they did cause some dispersion and desisted from sparking off new wildfires, they also transported some smoke from central Idaho wildfires further west which then mixed to the surface in eastern WA after the inversion broke. These impacts appear to have persisted throughout the day in a lot of eastern WA. Some smoke from WA wildfires was pushed up against the Cascades and impacted the communities at the eastern foothills once the drainage flows started and easterly winds let up.
Light winds over the Cascades today are not expected to do a whole lot to help with smoke in the hard-hit communities. That said the models are advertizing some moderate winds near the gaps along I90 and Hwy2 starting later today. If it pans out, this could lead to good dispersion in Ellensburg, Leavenworth and the Methow, but also risks limiting plume rise. Flow is most W-NW which pushes smoke into the Columbia Basin. But how far southeast into the Basin it will travel before turning NE (under a SW flow regime), is uncertain. This could lead to smoke impacts in the Spokane area too. The Yakima valley might get off lightly today, but parts of Klickitat County could see a little bit of smoke from the Mt. Adams fire.
Models are backing off on the strength of the low pressure systems that were expected to bring some cooling and spotty rainfall to the northern counties. No strong winds in the forecast through this week, though some clearing is expected east of the Cascades Tuesday afternoon.
Western WA did not see enough vertical mixing to transport this smoke to the surface. No air quality issues are expected in Western WA over the coming days.
The National Weather Service issued an Air Quality Alert for much of eastern Washington:
http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=otx&wwa=air%20quality%20alert
The Governor has issued an emergency proclamation for all of eastern Washington:
http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1967&newsType=1

Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) Chart:

https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/App_AQI/AQI.en-US.pdf

Ecology Air Quality Monitoring Network Map: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/Default.ltr.aspx

  -note, click on the dots and you can then click on View more information to find out the latest hourly values even if the dot is grey

 

 

              

Central Region, Ecology Air Quality Report                  Chelan County monitor locations: Wenatchee- “Hazardous” Leavenworth- “Unhealthy” Chelan- “Unhealthy”                Okanogan County monitor locations: Omak - “Unhealthy” Winthrop – “Unhealthy” Twisp-  “Unhealthy”                Kittitas County monitor location: Ellensburg- “Very Unhealthy” Yakima County monitor location: Yakima- “Unhealthy” White Swan- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Toppenish- “Unhealthy”                Klickitat County monitor location: Goldendale- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”   Eastern Region, Ecology Air Quality Report Blue Mt. Area Clarkston  -  unhealthy for sensitive groups Dayton  -   good Walla Walla  -  good Palouse Area Pullman  -  unhealthy for sensitive groups Rosalia  -  unhealthy for sensitive groups LaCrosse  -  unhealthy for sensitive groups Northeast                     Colville  -  unhealthy for sensitive groups Wellpinit  -  unhealthy

USDA FOREST SERVICE Air Quality Report            Chelan County monitor location: Wenatchee- (Confluence Park)- “Unhealthy” Cashmere- “Hazardous” Entiat- “Unhealthy” Okanogan County* (new) Pateros- “Very Unhealthy”            Grant County monitor location: Quincy-  “Unhealthy”           Kittitas County monitor location: Cle Elum- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Klickitat County*(new) Trout Lake- “Unhealthy”           Eastern cont., Ecology Air Quality Report Columbia Basin Kennewick  -  good Mesa  - unhealthy for sensitive groups Moses Lake  - unhealthy for sensitive groups Ritzville  - unhealthy for sensitive groups Spokane Area Spokane, - “Unhealthy for Sensitive groups” Liberty Lake- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

Another very useful webpage for grab hourly and 24 hour data, Puget Sound Clean Air and their air quality tool: http://airgraphing.pscleanair.org/

Remember the Eastern Washington Burn Ban remains effective through Monday, September, 24, 2012.http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1967&newsType=1

9-23-12 0845 Ecology Air Quality Update and Weather Forecast

Washington Department of Ecology news

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Sept. 23, 2012

12-319

Air quality still ‘hazardous’ in Wenatchee area, but some communities see improvement

OLYMPIA – The Wenatchee, Pateros and Cashmere areas have seen slight clearing in wildfire smoke, but air quality there still remains in the “hazardous” category, according to the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology).

Other areas of Eastern Washington – such as Entiat, Quincy, Leavenworth, Chelan, Yakima, White Swan, and Toppenish – experienced some clearing, but still not enough to return to healthy air. Pullman and Clarkston also saw some much needed clearing Saturday evening, after an initial rise in pollution levels earlier in the day as the inversion broke and mixed some overhanging Idaho wildfire smoke to the surface. The threat of Idaho wildfire smoke has passed thanks to a wind shift. Ellensburg and Cle Elum experienced “good” air on Saturday, and should again today.

Omak and Twisp saw some increase in pollution levels as a weather system pushed a little smoke up those valleys. But conditions in those communities should improve somewhat today.

There are no reports of new fire starts from lightning strikes this morning, but a small chance of lightning remains until late today. Isolated light rainfall is forecast for several parts of the eastern Columbia Basin today as a low pressure system passes through the far eastern parts of the state, but not near the wildfires. While areas nearest to the wildfires will continue to see poor air quality, an increase in winds will help with smoke dispersion. Eastern Washington will continue to see some gradual improvement in air quality, though periodic impacts from drifting smoke are expected.

Some cooler temperatures along with a little bit of rain (mostly in the northern counties of Eastern Washington) are expected this week. This will further improve air quality. 

All residents in the Wenatchee area should stay indoors and curtail their physical activities both indoors and outside. Doors and windows should remain closed. In the remainder of the Yakima and Columbia Basin common sense precautions should be taken by everyone, but sensitive groups, such as children, the elderly and heart patients, are particularly vulnerable.

The biggest health threat comes from the fine particles in smoke. These can cause burning eyes, runny nose, bronchitis and other illnesses. Smoky air also can aggravate heart and lung diseases, and even lead to death.

You can find news and information about smoke and wildfires from a variety of state, local and federal agencies on a new blog.

Central Washington University is providing information for students and their families online.

The Washington State Department of Health is providing answers to frequently asked questions about wildfire smoke.

The National Weather Service has issued an Air Quality Alert for much of eastern Washington.

Gov. Gregoire has issued a burn ban in Eastern Washington, which is in effect until midnight Monday.

###

Media Contact: Seth Preston, Ecology communications manager, 360-584-5744 cell; seth.preston@ecy.wa.gov

Joint blog on wildfire smoke and related information: http://wasmoke.blogspot.com

Check for air quality monitoring information: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/air_monitoring_data/WAQA_Intro_Page.html

Washington Department of Health smoke information: http://www.doh.wa.gov/Newsroom.aspx

Frequently asked questions about wildfire smoke: http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/OutdoorAir/SmokeFromFires/FrequentlyaskedQuestionsaboutWildfireSmoke.aspx

Central Washington University information: http://www.cwu.edu/table-mountain-fire

Read the Governor’s emergency declaration: http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1967&newsType=1

National Weather Service Air Quality Alert: http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=otx&wwa=air%20quality%20alert

Ecology’s website: http://www.ecy.wa.gov

Ecology’s social media: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/about/newmedia.html

 

Broadcast version

The Wenatchee, Pateros and Cashmere areas have seen slight clearing in wildfire smoke, but air quality there still remains in the “hazardous” category, according to the Department of Ecology.

Other areas of Eastern Washington experienced some clearing, but still not enough to return all of them to healthy air.

While areas nearest to the wildfires will continue to see poor air quality, a slight increase in winds will help with smoke dispersion. Eastern Washington will continue to see some gradual improvement in air quality, though periodic impacts from drifting smoke are expected.

 

9-23-12 0800 Ecology Daily forecast with Monitors

Air Quality forecast, 8AM Sunday 23 September 2012
Issued by Ranil Dhammapala, Washington State Dept. of Ecology

Wenatchee, Pateros and Cashmere saw a bit of clearing but air quality still remains Hazardous. Entiat, Quincy, Leavenworth, Chelan, Yakima, White Swan and Toppenish all experienced some clearing but still not enough to return to healthy air. Pullman and Clarkston also saw some much needed clearing in the evening, after an initial rise in pollution levels earlier in the day as the inversion broke and mixed some overhanging Idaho wildfire smoke to the surface. The threat of Idaho wildfire smoke has passed thanks to a wind shift. Ellensburg and Cle Elum saw Good air yesterday, and should stay that way today.
Omak and Twisp saw some increase in pollution levels as a weather system pushed a little smoke up those valleys, but should see a little improvement today.
There are no reports of new fire starts from lightning strikes as yet, but a small threat of lightning remains until tonight. Isolated light rainfall is forecast for several parts of the eastern Columbia Basin today as a low pressure system passes through the far eastern parts of the state, but not near the wildfires. While areas nearest to the wildfires will continue to see poor air, West/ Southwest winds will help with smoke dispersion. Eastern WA will continue to see some gradual improvement in air quality, though periodic impacts from drifting smoke are expected.
Some cooler temperatures and a little bit of rain (the latter mostly in the Northern counties of eastern WA) are forecast during the work week. This will further improve air quality.
No air quality issues are expected in Western WA over the coming days.
The National Weather Service issued an Air Quality Alert for much of eastern Washington through Monday evening:
http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=otx&wwa=air%20quality%20alert
The Governor has issued an emergency proclamation for all of eastern Washington:
http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1967&newsType=1

Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) Chart:

https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/App_AQI/AQI.en-US.pdf

Ecology Air Quality Monitoring Network Map: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/Default.ltr.aspx

  -note, click on the dots and you can then click on View more information to find out the latest hourly values even if the dot is grey

              

Central Region, Ecology Air Quality Report                  Chelan County monitor locations: Wenatchee- “Hazardous” Leavenworth- “Moderate” Chelan- “Unhealthy”                Okanogan County monitor locations: Omak - “Unhealthy” Winthrop – “Unhealthy” Twisp-  “Unhealthy”                Kittitas County monitor location: Ellensburg- “Moderate” Yakima County monitor location: Yakima- “Good” White Swan- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Toppenish- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”                Klickitat County monitor location: Goldendale- “Good” <![if !vml]><![endif]>  Eastern Region, Ecology Air Quality Report Blue Mountain Area Clarkston  -  “ Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Dayton  -   “Good” Walla Walla  -  “Good” Palouse Pullman  - “Good” Rosalia  - “Moderate” LaCrosse  -  “Good” Columbia Basin Kennewick  -  “Good” Mesa  - “Moderate” Moses Lake  - “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Ritzville  -“Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”

USDA FOREST SERVICE Air Quality Report            Chelan County monitor location: Wenatchee- (Confluence Park)- “Unhealthy” Cashmere- “Hazardous” Entiat- “Unhealthy” Okanogan County* (new) Pateros- “Hazardous”            Grant County monitor location: Quincy-  “Unhealthy”           Kittitas County monitor location: Cle Elum- “Good” Klickitat County*(new) Trout Lake- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” <![if !vml]><![endif]>  Eastern cont., Ecology Air Quality Report                          Spokane Area Spokane “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Liberty Lake- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups Northeast Colville  -  “Moderate” Wellpinit  -  “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”

Another very useful webpage for grab hourly and 24 hour data, Puget Sound Clean Air and their air quality tool: http://airgraphing.pscleanair.org/

Remember the Eastern Washington Burn Ban remains effective through Monday, September, 24, 2012.http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1967&newsType=1
Information Clearing House for Wildfire Information Updates: http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

9-23-12 Ecology Daily forecast with Monitors

Air Quality forecast, 8AM Sunday 23 September 2012
Issued by Ranil Dhammapala, Washington State Dept. of Ecology

Wenatchee, Pateros and Cashmere saw a bit of clearing but air quality still remains Hazardous. Entiat, Quincy, Leavenworth, Chelan, Yakima, White Swan and Toppenish all experienced some clearing but still not enough to return to healthy air. Pullman and Clarkston also saw some much needed clearing in the evening, after an initial rise in pollution levels earlier in the day as the inversion broke and mixed some overhanging Idaho wildfire smoke to the surface. The threat of Idaho wildfire smoke has passed thanks to a wind shift. Ellensburg and Cle Elum saw Good air yesterday, and should stay that way today.
Omak and Twisp saw some increase in pollution levels as a weather system pushed a little smoke up those valleys, but should see a little improvement today.
There are no reports of new fire starts from lightning strikes as yet, but a small threat of lightning remains until tonight. Isolated light rainfall is forecast for several parts of the eastern Columbia Basin today as a low pressure system passes through the far eastern parts of the state, but not near the wildfires. While areas nearest to the wildfires will continue to see poor air, West/ Southwest winds will help with smoke dispersion. Eastern WA will continue to see some gradual improvement in air quality, though periodic impacts from drifting smoke are expected.
Some cooler temperatures and a little bit of rain (the latter mostly in the Northern counties of eastern WA) are forecast during the work week. This will further improve air quality.
No air quality issues are expected in Western WA over the coming days.
The National Weather Service issued an Air Quality Alert for much of eastern Washington through Monday evening:
http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=otx&wwa=air%20quality%20alert
The Governor has issued an emergency proclamation for all of eastern Washington:
http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1967&newsType=1

Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) Chart:

https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/App_AQI/AQI.en-US.pdf

Ecology Air Quality Monitoring Network Map: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/Default.ltr.aspx

  -note, click on the dots and you can then click on View more information to find out the latest hourly values even if the dot is grey

 

 

              

Central Region, Ecology Air Quality Report                  Chelan County monitor locations: Wenatchee- “Hazardous” Leavenworth- “Moderate” Chelan- “Unhealthy”                Okanogan County monitor locations: Omak - “Unhealthy” Winthrop – “Unhealthy” Twisp-  “Unhealthy”                  Kittitas County monitor location: Ellensburg- “Moderate” Yakima County monitor location: Yakima- “Good” White Swan- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Toppenish- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”                Klickitat County monitor location: Goldendale- “Good”   Eastern Region, Ecology Air Quality Report   Blue Mountain Area Clarkston  -  “ Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Dayton  -   “Good” Walla Walla  -  “Good” Palouse Pullman  - “Good” Rosalia  - “Moderate” LaCrosse  -  “Good” Columbia Basin Kennewick  -  “Good” Mesa  - “Moderate” Moses Lake  - “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Ritzville  -“Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”

USDA FOREST SERVICE Air Quality Report            Chelan County monitor location: Wenatchee- (Confluence Park)- “Unhealthy” Cashmere- “Hazardous” Entiat- “Unhealthy” Okanogan County* (new) Pateros- “Hazardous”            Grant County monitor location: Quincy-  “Unhealthy”             Kittitas County monitor location: Cle Elum- “Good” Klickitat County*(new) Trout Lake- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”           Eastern cont., Ecology Air Quality Report                            Spokane Area Spokane “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Liberty Lake- “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups   Northeast Colville  -  “Moderate” Wellpinit  -  “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”

Another very useful webpage for grab hourly and 24 hour data, Puget Sound Clean Air and their air quality tool: http://airgraphing.pscleanair.org/

Remember the Eastern Washington Burn Ban remains effective through Monday, September, 24, 2012.http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1967&newsType=1
Information Clearing House for Wildfire Information Updates: http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

Guidance for Wildfire Smoke and WAQA 9-22-12 1100

Guidance for Wildfire Smoke and WAQA

WAQA: Washington Air Quality Advisory Messaging with PM2.5 values

(Created 9/22/12 interim for use in Sept/Oct 2012)

 

Definitions: 

• PM_2.5 = Particulate Matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter. PM_2.5 is mostly made up of soot and products of incomplete combustion. These particles are so small they penetrate deep into the lungs, where they can cause serious health problems.
• µg/m³ = micrograms of PM_2.5 per cubic meter of air.

 

Guidance: Please use the chart below to interpret the colors associated with current air quality, as reported here: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/Default.ltr.aspx.

This color reflects 24 hr estimated exposure levels and is the most protective of human health. If the site is down, go here: http://airgraphing.pscleanair.org/.

Ecology recommends using 24hr data, but 1 hr near-real time data are available, though not color-coded as mentioned above.

 

FAQs: http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/OutdoorAir/SmokeFromFires.aspx

INFO Clearing House: http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

The U.S. Forest Service runs some temporary monitors: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/smoke.pl. Time is listed in GMT. To convert to local time, subtract 8 hrs, or contact Rick Graw with the USFS at rgraw@fs.fed.us.

Health Category	PM 2.5 ug/m3	Advice
Good	0 to 13	None
Moderate	14 to 20	Some people with lung and heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or a current respiratory infection may be sensitive to air pollution at this level and should consider limiting outdoor activity.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	21 to 35	People with lung and heart disease, stroke, diabetes or a current respiratory infection, infants, children, and older adults should limit outdoor activity.
Unhealthy	36 to 80	Everyone should try and limit outdoor activity. If possible, people with lung and heart disease, stroke, or respiratory infections, infants, children, and older adults should stay indoors.
Very Unhealthy	81 to 135	Everyone should try to stay inside. People with lung and heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or a current respiratory infection should limit indoor activity levels. Shut windows and doors if it is not too hot. Set home air conditioners on the recirculate mode if this is available.
Hazardous	>135	Everyone should try to stay indoors. Limit physical activity. Shut windows and doors if it is not too hot. Set home air conditioners on the recirculate mode if this is available. If it is too hot to shut windows and doors, consider leaving the area until air quality improves. Operators of larger, nonresidential buildings should check with HVAC specialists to determine the best course of action.

 

 

 

9-22-12 2200 Ecology Monitoring/Weather Update

 

Washington Department of Ecology news

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Sept. 22, 2012

12-318

 

Wenatchee still showing ‘hazardous’ air quality

 

OLYMPIA – Air quality remains in the “hazardous” category in the Wenatchee and nearby communities such as Cashmere and Pateros, according to the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology).

 

However, some areas along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains did see some improvement in air quality overnight. Leavenworth, Yakima (both “unhealthy”), Ellensburg (“moderate”) and Cle Elum (“good”) saw some clearing overnight. But winds did push some smoke into the Methow Valley overnight, leading to “unhealthy” conditions.

 

A red flag warning remains in effect because of the threat of thunderstorms and lightning today (Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012). “The weather system should also help stir things up a bit and lead to a small improvement in air quality in these areas, but we certainly hope it won’t spark more wildfires,” said Ecology forecaster Ranil Dhammapala.

 

Air quality in the Columbia Basin and Spokane has shown some marginal improvement over the last day to the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category. Air in these areas should improve slightly over the weekend. Pullman and Clarkston were impacted Friday by smoke from Idaho wildfires; air quality this morning was in the “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” categories, respectively, in those communities. However, some clearing is possible today because smoke from Idaho is expected to be less of a problem.

 

Some cooler temperatures are on tap for Eastern Washington next week, which could help reduce fire activity.

 

All residents in the Wenatchee area should stay indoors and curtail their physical activities both indoors and outside. Doors and windows should remain closed. In the remainder of the Yakima and Columbia Basin common sense precautions should be taken by everyone, but sensitive groups, such as children, the elderly and heart patients, are particularly vulnerable.

 

The biggest health threat comes from the fine particles in smoke. These can cause burning eyes, runny nose, bronchitis and other illnesses. Smoky air also can aggravate heart and lung diseases, and even lead to death.

 

You can find news and information about smoke and wildfires from a variety of state, local and federal agencies on a new blog.

 

Central Washington University is providing information for students and their families online.

 

The Washington State Department of Health has provided more than 20,000 respirators to the health districts in Kittitas, Chelan and Douglas counties. A document with answers to frequently asked questions about wildfire smoke also is available.

 

The National Weather Service has issued an Air Quality Alert for much of eastern Washington.

 

Gov. Gregoire has issued a burn ban in Eastern Washington, which is in effect until midnight Monday.

 

###

 

Media Contact: Seth Preston, Ecology communications manager, 360-584-5744 cell; seth.preston@ecy.wa.gov

 

Joint blog on wildfire smoke and related information: http://wasmoke.blogspot.com

 

Check for air quality monitoring information: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/air_monitoring_data/WAQA_Intro_Page.html

 

Washington Department of Health smoke information: http://www.doh.wa.gov/Newsroom.aspx

 

Washington State Department of Health news release: http://www.doh.wa.gov/Newsroom/2012NewsReleases/12143WildfireRespirators.aspx

 

Frequently asked questions about wildfire smoke: http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/OutdoorAir/SmokeFromFires/FrequentlyaskedQuestionsaboutWildfireSmoke.aspx

 

Central Washington University information: http://www.cwu.edu/table-mountain-fire

 

Read the Governor’s emergency declaration: http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1967&newsType=1

 

National Weather Service Air Quality Alert: http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=otx&wwa=air%20quality%20alert

 

Ecology’s website: http://www.ecy.wa.gov

Ecology’s social media: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/about/newmedia.html