Air quality update on Tuesday 19 August 2014

Air quality remains Good in much of the state, with moderate air in parts of the Columbia basin. Wildfires are smoldering but few are producing large plumes. Last week’s unusually large dumping of rain was a game changer.

West- northwest winds will kick up as a dry cold front passes through eastern Washington today before turning southwest and subsiding somewhat by Wednesday evening. Though this can literally fan the flames, temperatures are not expected to rise too high and aid fire growth all that much. Smoke impacts from fires outside Washington is likely to be low. We should continue to see Good to Moderate air quality through the rest of the work week.

Check out the latest webcam image at Pasayten Wilderness vs. that 24 hours ago. Noticeably less haze.

Wildfire smoke forecasts will become less frequent as conditions improve.

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Ranil Dhammapala, PhD.

Atmospheric Scientist

Washington State Department of Ecology

P.O Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600

Tel: 360-407-6807

Fax: 360-407-7534

Email: ranil.dhammapala@ecy.wa.gov

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Note: The portable smoke monitors in Plain, Entiat, and Keller have been removed from service.

Due to the reduced fire activity and consequential lack of significant smoke production, these portable monitors, installed this past month for increased coverage, have been removed from service. Tomorrow, the monitors in Brewster and Malott are scheduled for removal.  All State air quality monitors will remain in place and operational.  The monitors shall remain available for reinstallation up until Thursday (8/21) afternoon if needed.

Smoke/Air Quality Outlook for Monday-Wednesday, August 18-20, 2014

Smoke Synopsis:

Warm and dry conditions continue today.  If we see any increase in fire activity, it will most likely be later this afternoon.  There is a chance that the increased winds associated with the cold frontal passage on Tuesday could fire up some smoldering spots, but fire crews continue to work hard to take care of known hot spots. The Keller smoke monitor was removed from service this morning and is being returned to the cache as smoke impacts continued to decrease. Valleys across north-central Washington are experiencing moderate air quality today due to generally poorer dispersion than we have been seeing.  This is expected to continue until the passage of the cold from on Tuesday afternoon or evening, which should clean out the entire basin – provided no new fires start, which is not anticipated by being watched closely.

Air Quality Outlook:
Site	Monday August 18, 201		Tuesday August 19, 2014		Wednesday August 20, 2014		Comments
Colville	Moderate		Moderate		Good
Wellpinit	Moderate		Moderate		Good
Keller	Moderate		Moderate		Moderate
Omak	Moderate		Moderate		Good
Malott	Good		Good		Good
Brewster	Good		Good		Good
Winthrop	Moderate		Moderate		Good
Twisp	Moderate		Moderate		Good
Chelan	Good		Good		Good
Entiat	Good		Good		Good
Plain	Good		Good		Good
Leavenworth	Good		Moderate		Good
Wenatchee	Good		Good		Good
Ellensburg	Moderate		Moderate		Good
Yakima	Good		Good		Good
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

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