Improving Air Quality in Keller

The Devil's Elbow fires were detected on August 3, 2014 on the Colville Indian Reservation in NE Washington and had likely been started by lightning the day prior.  Three fires in San Poil River Valley, approximately 10-12 miles north of the town of Keller, subsequently merged and became one, burning over 26,000 acres.  The Highway 21 corridor, running due south from the fires thought the town of Keller, was quickly impacted.  It became apparent that installing a smoke monitor in Keller was desirable, and the station was installed and became operational the morning of August 12 during a period of very dense smoke.

Due to the diurnal valley wind patterns (up-canyon during the day and down-canyon at night) Keller and the surrounding area typically experienced the worst air quality in the early morning hours (between midnight and 8 am as smoke would drain down the canyon during the cooler hours of the night.  Each afternoon would see clearing as winds shifted and came from the south.  As the recent rains moved in and fire crews gained the upper hand farther up the canyon, the morning smoke has decreased significantly.

While the 1-hr averages were quite high at times, the 24-hr average, upon which the Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) levels are base) remained significantly lower due to the much cleaner air every afternoon. See the Smoke and Health tab at the top of this section for more detailed information on the WAQA levels and their meanings.

Air Quality Outlook for Sunday-Tuesday, August 17-19, 2014

Smoke Synopsis:

Warmer and drier conditions continue today and tomorrow.  If we see any increase in fire activity, it will most likely be later this afternoon through Monday.  There is still a chance that the increased winds associated with the cold frontal passage on Tuesday could fire up some smoldering spots, but fire crews are working hard until then to take care of known hot spots. Some very slightly elevated readings (still in the good category) were noticed mid-morning downwind (east of) the Hansel, Snag Canyon and South Cle Elum Ridge fires at the monitoring stations located in Ellensburg, Leavenworth and Wenatchee.  Skies were just a touch hazy and light smoke odors could be noticed in some locations, although no plumes were evident.  Just something to keep an eye on. Likewise, the Keller and Highway 21 corridor continues to see a morning peak in smoke before clearing out quite nicely every afternoon as winds switch to an up-canyon flow. Colville and Wellpinit areas are likewise seeing some slight increases as the more typical wind pattern slowly moves everything being produced (fire-generated smoke as well as anything else) to the east.

Air Quality Outlook:
Site	Sunday August 17, 2014		Monday August 18, 2014		Tuesday August 19, 2014		Comments
Colville	Good		Moderate		Moderate
Wellpinit	Good		Moderate		Moderate
Keller	Moderate		USG		Good
Omak	Moderate		Moderate		Good
Malott	Good		Moderate		Moderate
Brewster	Good		Good		Moderate
Winthrop	Good		Good		Moderate
Twisp	Good		Good		Moderate
Chelan	Good		Good		Good
Entiat	Good		Good		Good
Plain	Good		Good		Good
Leavenworth	Good		Moderate		Good
Wenatchee	Good		Good		Good
Ellensburg	Good		Moderate		Good
Yakima	Good		Good		Good
NOTE – in table above “USG” stands for “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” For detailed information about the color coded air quality categories, please see:  Washington Air Quality Advisory for Smoke and Other Fine Particle Air Pollution En Español:  El Índice de la Calidad de Aire de Washington para Humo y Otra Contaminación del Aire causadas por Partículas Finas
Warning: These data have been obtained from automated instruments and have not been subjected to a quality assurance review to determine their accuracy. They are presented for public awareness and should not be considered final. Conditions such as power outages and equipment malfunctions can produce invalid data.
1 Since wildfires often occur in remote areas, air monitoring equipment may not be available. The following table provides a quick method to assess air quality in your area. For more detailed information you can go to the following site: http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/burning/wildfires/visibility.htm
Using the 5-3-1 Visibility Index
Distance you can see*		Your are:						You have:
		·  An adult ·  A teenager ·  An older child		·  Age 65 and over ·  Pregnant ·  A young child		OR		·  Asthma ·  Respiratory illness ·  Lung or heart disease
5 miles		check visibility		minimize outdoor activity
3 miles		minimize outdoor activity		stay inside
1 miles		stay inside		stay inside
No matter how far you can see, if you feel like you are having health effects from smoke exposure, take extra care to stay inside or get to an area with better air quality.  You should also see your doctor or other health professional as needed.
* less reliable under high humidity conditions

This afternoon's "No Smoke" Satellite image!

Twisp vs Winthrop

On this gorgeous, clear day with no smoke, let's take a look at the differences between two air quality monitors located less than 9 miles apart in the same Methow Valley.  The blue graphs indicate 1-hr average concentrations of PM2.5 while the red data points are 24-hr averages. Note that while the 24-hr values trended rather similar for the two sites (expected as they are spatially close) the peak 1-hr values differed greatly!

Why would this be? As you can see in the graphic below (orange ovals depict drainage valleys below the fires), smoke from the Upper Falls Creek Fire drains directly into Winthrop prior to reaching Twisp. So when that fire has been active, Winthrop will experience higher smoke concentrations.

On the other hand, the Little Bridge Creek Fire drains directly into Twisp, bypassing Winthop almost completely! So if one fire is more active than the other, the two communities, while close, may experience greatly different air quality.  And that is the what's been going on...  Note that today, both areas are fine places to be!

Air Quality Outlook for Saturday, August 16, 2016

Smoke Synopsis:

Cool moist weather continued to moderate fire activity with mostly smoldering occurring in interior portions of the fires. Warmer and drier conditions this weekend may increase fire activity and produce some noticeable smoke.  Winds will switch around to a more pattern, generally from the west and valley drainages should see a return to their typical upslope in the day and downslope at night pattern. Information on new fire starts from the recent lightning should become apparent over the next few days.  Look for late night and early morning smoke in valleys below any active burn areas.

Air Quality Outlook:
Site	Saturday August 16, 2014		Sunday August 17, 2014		Monday August 18, 2014		Comments
Colville	Good		Good		Moderate
Wellpinit	Good		Good		Moderate
Keller	Moderate		USG		USG
Omak	Moderate		Moderate		Moderate
Malott	Good		Moderate		Moderate
Brewster	Good		Good		Moderate
Winthrop	Good		Good		Moderate
Twisp	Good		Moderate		USG
Chelan	Good		Moderate		Moderate
Entiat	Good		Moderate		USG
Plain	Good		Good		Good
Leavenworth	Good		Moderate		Moderate
Wenatchee	Good		Good		Moderate
Ellensburg	Good		Moderate		Moderate
Yakima	Good		Good		Good
NOTE – in table above “USG” stands for “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” For detailed information about the color coded air quality categories, please see:  Washington Air Quality Advisory for Smoke and Other Fine Particle Air Pollution En Español:  El Índice de la Calidad de Aire de Washington para Humo y Otra Contaminación del Aire causadas por Partículas Finas
Warning: These data have been obtained from automated instruments and have not been subjected to a quality assurance review to determine their accuracy. They are presented for public awareness and should not be considered final. Conditions such as power outages and equipment malfunctions can produce invalid data.
1 Since wildfires often occur in remote areas, air monitoring equipment may not be available. The following table provides a quick method to assess air quality in your area. For more detailed information you can go to the following site: http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/burning/wildfires/visibility.htm
Using the 5-3-1 Visibility Index
Distance you can see*		Your are:						You have:
		·  An adult ·  A teenager ·  An older child		·  Age 65 and over ·  Pregnant ·  A young child		OR		·  Asthma ·  Respiratory illness ·  Lung or heart disease
5 miles		check visibility		minimize outdoor activity
3 miles		minimize outdoor activity		stay inside
1 miles		stay inside		stay inside
No matter how far you can see, if you feel like you are having health effects from smoke exposure, take extra care to stay inside or get to an area with better air quality.  You should also see your doctor or other health professional as needed.
* less reliable under high humidity conditions