Smoke forecast through Friday 7 August

Previous smoke forecast mostly on track with moderate to strong winds helping to keep smoke levels in check. Air quality has been Good for the last 24 hours in most areas of the state, although locations closer to large fires have experienced intermittent bouts of poor air quality. As of noon today, temporary monitors in Chelan and Metaline Falls showed air quality to be Moderate and Good, respectively.

Expect Thursday to be similar to today with breezy conditions helping keep smoke levels down, but also increasing fire spread risks. In general, air quality will degrade a bit overnight while improving to mostly Good during the day. Winds are likely to move smoke from the Wolverine fire toward Chelan, but a good deal of it will stay aloft during the daytime.

Friday will see calmer winds and warmer temperatures. Winds closer to the mountains will be driven by terrain, with upslope winds during the day and downslope flows at night. Overnight smoke will be slower to clear out during the day, and air quality in Chelan could become Unhealthy by Friday night. Other areas are likely to vary between Good and Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.

Some smoke clearing is likely for the weekend, and that will be addressed in more detail on Friday.

Updates on Smoke in Chelan from Wolverine Fire

Live Webcam at Campbells Resort in Chelan : http://www.campbellsresort.com/webcam
Plus photos taken today from Lake Chelan and new webcams put up by USFS

USFS WEB CAMS set up today-

Earlier today I setup one of our portable cameras on the north side of Lake Chelan across from 25 Mile Creek to monitor smoke and fire activity.  The camera collects 3 different views (approx. south, southwest and west) and can be seen on the following web addresses:

http://www.fsvisimages.com/fstemplate.aspx?site=okwe1_fire1  (south, downlake)

http://www.fsvisimages.com/fstemplate.aspx?site=okwe1_fire2  (SW, across the lake)
http://www.fsvisimages.com/fstemplate.aspx?site=okwe1_fire3  (west, uplake)

The camera should update images every ½ hour during daylight hours.

8/4/15 New Release: Chelan/Douglas Health District