Smoke Summary Wolverine Fire Saturday, August 15

Saturday:  Winds from yesterday in general cleared out smoke from the region, although dense smoke impacted areas of Douglas County in the evening.  Today’s breezy weather conditions coupled with instability through the day will lead to active burning on the multiple new fire starts around Chelan.  The Wolverine Fire is also expected to burn actively.  High levels of smoke production are possible with variable local impacts.  Douglas and Grant Counties and the Colville Indian Reservation may see periods of significant smoke today.  Smoke from multiple regional fires may create smoky/hazy conditions across central and eastern Washington tonight and into tomorrow.  Sunday:  Morning inversions coupled with light, terrain-driven winds may cause smoky conditions in Manson and Chelan in the morning and hazy conditions in Wenatchee.                       Monday:  Sunny with breezy north winds.  Local smoke possible in the morning.
Site	August 15 Today Air Quality			August 16 Sunday Air Quality	August 17 Monday Air Quality	Comments
Chelan	Unhealthy			USG	USG	Today, worst air quality in the afternoon. Intermittent periods of heavy smoke.
Manson	Unhealthy			USG	USG	Today, worst air quality in the afternoon, intermittent.
Methow Valley	Moderate			Moderate	USG
Wenatchee	Moderate			Moderate	Moderate
Disclaimer: Conditions may change quickly, these predictions are based on anticipated weather and fire activity.  The air quality outlook is based on data from automated instruments that have not been subjected to a quality assurance review. AQI’s estimated for sites with air monitors.
Index Levels of Health Concern			Actions Recommended by WA Department of Ecology to Reduce Smoke Exposure
Good			None
Moderate			People with asthma, respiratory infection, diabetes, lung or heart disease, or have had a stroke should limit outdoor activities or do activities that take less effort, such as walking instead of running.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups			Sensitive groups include people with heart or lung disease, asthma, diabetes, infants, children, adults older than 65, pregnant women, or who have had a stroke.  These people should limit time spent outdoors.
Unhealthy			Everyone should limit time spent outdoors. Everyone should avoid exercising outdoors (including sports teams) and choose non-strenuous indoor activities. People with asthma, respiratory infection, diabetes, lung or heart disease, or have had a stroke should stay indoors. Infants, children, pregnant women and adults over age 65 should also stay indoors.
Very Unhealthy			Everyone should stay indoors, do only light activities, and keep windows closed if it is not too hot. Run air conditioners on re-circulate and close the outside air intake. Use indoor air cleaners with HEPA filters, if available. If you must be outdoors, wear an N-95 respirator mask. People with chronic diseases should check with their health care provider before wearing a mask. Check with your local health department for health information. People with asthma, lung and heart disease, or have had a stroke should check with their health care provider for advice about leaving the area. Anyone with shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain, heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, or difficulty moving or speaking should call their health care provider or call 911.
Hazardous			Everyone should stay indoors, do only light activities, and keep windows closed if it is not too hot. Run air conditioners on re-circulate and close the outside air intake. Use indoor air cleaners with HEPA filters, if available. If you must be outdoors, wear an N-95 respirator mask. People with chronic diseases should check with their health care provider before wearing a mask. Check with your local health department for health information. People with asthma, lung and heart disease, or have had a stroke should check with their health care provider for advice about leaving the area. Anyone with shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain, heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, or difficulty moving or speaking should call their health care provider or call 911.

Webcam looking up Lake Chelan  http://www.fsvisimages.com/fstemplate.aspx?site=okwe3_fire1

Air quality over the past 60 days

Wildfire smoke forecast through Monday 17 August

Here's what the satellites and PM_2.5 monitors saw yesterday. Red triangles are fire locations. Colored dots indicate daily average air quality conditions. Serious smoke plumes!

The first wave of a cold front passed by last evening causing some improvements in air quality around the eastern Cascade foothills but directed smoke from the Cougar Creek fire near Mount Adams, into the central Columbia Basin. Winds are picking up now and will help flush out some of the accumulated smoke across eastern Washington starting Friday afternoon. Strong west winds expected Saturday, calmer, northwest winds on Sunday, and the possibility of stronger winds on Monday evening. So we're unlikely to see a repeat of the above image for a few days. West winds will also limit Cougar Creek fire smoke from reaching Toppenish, Yakima and Ellensburg over the weekend. Smoke impacts in Okanogan county are also likely to be less than the past few days. Western Washington stays upwind of fires so air quality is expected to remain Good over the weekend.

Wish I could end on a positive note like that, but...

Strong winds limit plume rise and smoke from the Mt. Adams fire is likely to be channeled toward Tri Cities and beyond. Expect air quality to vary between Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups through the weekend. The Tri Cities area also has a blowing dust advisory through Friday evening.

Strong winds are also accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning strikes, more wildfires, possible mud flows and there are numerous warnings out to this effect. Please pay attention to these and to the health warnings associated with different air quality conditions, as shown in the post below.

Wolverine Fire Smoke Report for Friday, August 14, 2015

Friday:  Red flag warning until 8pm today for both thunderstorms and flash floods. The fire burned actively all night creating moderate to unhealthy air quality before midnight and in the early morning for the Lake Chelan area.  Near noon, northwest winds 30-40 mph are expected, bringing cooler conditions.  Limited smoke lofting is expected due to windy conditions at all levels through the afternoon.  Haze and smoke may affect a large area of central-eastern Washington and Northern Idaho today.   Saturday:  Valley inversions in the early morning coupled with light down valley winds may create local areas of smoke in  Manson and Chelan.  Afternoon winds primarily west-northwest could prolong local smoky conditions and impact air quality in the Moses Lake area.  Smoke from multiple fires in the northern Cascade mountains could affect air quality in the Methow Valley area. Sunday:  Mild and drier weather expected.
Site	August 14 Today Air Quality			August 15 Saturday Air Quality	August 16 Sunday Air Quality	Comments
Chelan	Moderate			Moderate	Moderate	Today, worst air quality in the morning.
Manson	USG			USG	Moderate	Today, worst air quality in the morning.
Methow Valley	Moderate			Moderate	Moderate	Intermittent moderate air quality in the afternoon.
Wenatchee	Moderate			Good	Good
Disclaimer: Conditions may change quickly, these predictions are based on anticipated weather and fire activity.  The air quality outlook is based on data from automated instruments that have not been subjected to a quality assurance review. AQI’s estimated for sites with air monitors.
Index Levels of Health Concern			Actions Recommended by WA Department of Ecology to Reduce Smoke Exposure
Good			None
Moderate			People with asthma, respiratory infection, diabetes, lung or heart disease, or have had a stroke should limit outdoor activities or do activities that take less effort, such as walking instead of running.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups			Sensitive groups include people with heart or lung disease, asthma, diabetes, infants, children, adults older than 65, pregnant women, or who have had a stroke.  These people should limit time spent outdoors.
Unhealthy			Everyone should limit time spent outdoors. Everyone should avoid exercising outdoors (including sports teams) and choose non-strenuous indoor activities. People with asthma, respiratory infection, diabetes, lung or heart disease, or have had a stroke should stay indoors. Infants, children, pregnant women and adults over age 65 should also stay indoors.
Very Unhealthy			Everyone should stay indoors, do only light activities, and keep windows closed if it is not too hot. Run air conditioners on re-circulate and close the outside air intake. Use indoor air cleaners with HEPA filters, if available. If you must be outdoors, wear an N-95 respirator mask. People with chronic diseases should check with their health care provider before wearing a mask. Check with your local health department for health information. People with asthma, lung and heart disease, or have had a stroke should check with their health care provider for advice about leaving the area. Anyone with shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain, heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, or difficulty moving or speaking should call their health care provider or call 911.
Hazardous			Everyone should stay indoors, do only light activities, and keep windows closed if it is not too hot. Run air conditioners on re-circulate and close the outside air intake. Use indoor air cleaners with HEPA filters, if available. If you must be outdoors, wear an N-95 respirator mask. People with chronic diseases should check with their health care provider before wearing a mask. Check with your local health department for health information. People with asthma, lung and heart disease, or have had a stroke should check with their health care provider for advice about leaving the area. Anyone with shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain, heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, or difficulty moving or speaking should call their health care provider or call 911.

Webcam looking up Lake Chelan http://www.fsvisimages.com/fstemplate.aspx?site=okwe3_fire1 

For Immediate Release: August 13, 2015 Air Quality Advisory 8:00AM

Contact:         Mary Small,    Public Information Officer                 (509) 886-6410

Wenatchee and Leavenworth – Unhealthy for Sensitive Populations

Chelan and Manson Area – Unhealthy

 

Areas around North Central Washington are receiving smoke from the Wolverine Fire and other fires. Most of the time Air Quality is expected to be Moderate, but in some areas, where smoke is trapped, it may be Unhealthy or Very Unhealthy at times.  Information here can provide guidance for the level of smoke you are seeing and the precautions recommended.

 

Air Quality will vary throughout the day.

 

Individuals with pre-existing heart and lung diseases, the elderly, children and infants are at highest risk of experiencing health complications from smoke. If you are in a sensitive group experiencing adverse health effects limit your outdoor activity or exertion level. 

 

For more information go to http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/ or https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/

Or http://www.cdhd.wa.gov/  to air quality and fires page or the Chelan County face book page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chelan-County-Emergency-Management/188543097925415

 

 

Category	Health Effects	General Precautions	Visibility
Good	None	None	10 miles
Moderate	Possible adverse health effects for people with pre-existing heart and lung diseases	None	4-9 miles
Unhealthy for sensitive people	Increasing likelihood of adverse health effects for those with pre-existing heart and lung diseases	People with pre-existing heart and lung diseases, the elderly, and children should limit prolonged outdoor exertion	2.5-3 miles
Unhealthy	Increased aggravation of pre-existing heart and lung diseases and premature mortality among sensitive populations.  Increasing adverse respiratory effects in general population	People with pre-existing health conditions, the elderly, and children should avoid any prolonged exertion. Everyone else should limit prolonged exertion.	1.25-2 miles
Very Unhealthy	Significant aggravation of pre-existing heart and lung diseases and premature mortality among sensitive populations.  Significant increase of adverse respiratory effects in the general population.	People with pre-existing conditions, the elderly, and children should avoid any outdoor activity or if possible, relocate to a “clean air” area.  Everyone else should avoid prolonged exertion	1 mile
Hazardous	Serious aggravation of existing heart and lung diseases. Increased pre-mature mortality among sensitive populations.  Serious risk of adverse respiratory affects in the general population.	Everyone should avoid any outdoor exertion, remain indoors, or if possible relocate to a “clean-air” area	Less than 0.75 miles

 

 

 

Wolverine Fire - Smoke Summary Thursday, August 13

Today:  Critical and complex fire weather expected for today and tomorrow with a red flag warning today. Isolated thunderstorms in the morning  increasing to scattered thunderstorms in the evening and through the night.  Strong low-level instability in the morning  is expected to create very active burning and smoke production for the Wolverine Fire.  Simultaneously, a mid-level inversion will cap the area and hold smoke locally.  Widespread smoky conditions expected for central Washington today from many regional fires including the Wolverine and Cougar fires.    Northwesterly winds 20-30 mph will begin to push smoke from Wolverine to the south and southeast at night.  Nighttime smoke may disperse throughout south-central Washington. Friday:  Northwest winds increase 30-40 mph in the morning with cooler, but dry conditions.  Fire is expected to burn actively all Thursday night into Friday morning.  Smoky conditions in the morning likely to exist locally.  Midday and afternoon smoky conditions may exist over a large area of central Washington.  By afternoon, locally heavy downpours possible from intense thundershowers.  Saturday:  Mild and drier weather expected.
Site	August 13 Today Air Quality			August 14 Friday Air Quality	August 15 Saturday Air Quality	Comments
Chelan	Unhealthy			Unhealthy	Moderate	Today worst air quality morning through afternoon.
Manson	Very Unhealthy			Unhealthy	Moderate	Today worst air quality morning through afternoon.
Methow Valley	Unhealthy			Unhealthy	Moderate	Today worst air quality afternoon and evening.
Wenatchee	Moderate			Moderate	Moderate
Disclaimer: Conditions may change quickly, these predictions are based on anticipated weather and fire activity.  The air quality outlook is based on data from automated instruments that have not been subjected to a quality assurance review. AQI’s estimated for sites with air monitors.
Index Levels of Health Concern			Actions Recommended by WA Department of Ecology to Reduce Smoke Exposure
Good			None
Moderate			People with asthma, respiratory infection, diabetes, lung or heart disease, or have had a stroke should limit outdoor activities or do activities that take less effort, such as walking instead of running.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups			Sensitive groups include people with heart or lung disease, asthma, diabetes, infants, children, adults older than 65, pregnant women, or who have had a stroke.  These people should limit time spent outdoors.
Unhealthy			Everyone should limit time spent outdoors. Everyone should avoid exercising outdoors (including sports teams) and choose non-strenuous indoor activities. People with asthma, respiratory infection, diabetes, lung or heart disease, or have had a stroke should stay indoors. Infants, children, pregnant women and adults over age 65 should also stay indoors.
Very Unhealthy			Everyone should stay indoors, do only light activities, and keep windows closed if it is not too hot. Run air conditioners on re-circulate and close the outside air intake. Use indoor air cleaners with HEPA filters, if available. If you must be outdoors, wear an N-95 respirator mask. People with chronic diseases should check with their health care provider before wearing a mask. Check with your local health department for health information. People with asthma, lung and heart disease, or have had a stroke should check with their health care provider for advice about leaving the area. Anyone with shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain, heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, or difficulty moving or speaking should call their health care provider or call 911.
Hazardous			Everyone should stay indoors, do only light activities, and keep windows closed if it is not too hot. Run air conditioners on re-circulate and close the outside air intake. Use indoor air cleaners with HEPA filters, if available. If you must be outdoors, wear an N-95 respirator mask. People with chronic diseases should check with their health care provider before wearing a mask. Check with your local health department for health information. People with asthma, lung and heart disease, or have had a stroke should check with their health care provider for advice about leaving the area. Anyone with shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain, heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, or difficulty moving or speaking should call their health care provider or call 911.