Air Quality Summary Report - Chelan and Methow Valley Fires Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Air Quality Summary Report   -  Chelan and Methow Valley Fires     Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Prepared by: Carolyn Kelly, Air Resource Advisor Trainee (ckelly8384@gmail.com) 

Andrea Holland, Air Resource Advisor (andreahollandsears@gmail.com)

Note: Air monitors in Brewster and Manson are currently in the process of setting up and should begin running by the weeks end. Wednesday: Communities near the fires (Chelan, Manson, Twisp, and Winthrop) will continue to experience periods of unhealthy air quality levels especially early morning and late afternoon as smoke settles into the valleys.  The amount of smoke in Leavenworth and Wenatchee is expected to vary throughout the day reaching moderate air quality levels, with some clearing late tonight.  Smoke may be heavier in Leavenworth. Thursday:  Chelan and Manson may see periods of increased smoke throughout the day but overall air quality will remain in the unhealthy range. Winthrop and Twisp may see varying levels of smoke with overall air quality at the unhealthy level. For Leavenworth and Wenatchee, some smoke may continue to linger but should clear out starting in the morning. Friday: Chelan and Manson will still see smoke with potential for a decrease as the day goes on. Winthrop and Twisp may see some clearer skies earlier in the day but smoke is expected to return into the afternoon. Some smoke may return in the morning for Leavenworth and Wenatchee. Weekend Outlook: A frontal passage is expected to pass through the area Friday night and through Saturday bringing breezy winds and some rain.  This will provide communities downwind of the fires some relief from smoke and good air quality.
Site	August 26 Air quality – Wednesday	August 27 Air Quality – Thursday	August 28 Air Quality – Friday	Comments
Chelan	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Depending on smoke released from fires today, Chelan and Manson may see levels above unhealthy.
Manson	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy
		V. Unhealthy	Unhealthy
Winthrop	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy
Twisp	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy
Leavenworth	Moderate	Moderate	Good
		Good
Wenatchee	Moderate	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.

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

For up to date information about smoke in Washington State, visit http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Air Quality Summary Report - NE Washington Area Command Fires Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Download the PDF here

Evening 8/25/2015: Expected Fire and Smoke patterns for the next couple days in the NE Washington area

Evening update: Due to breaking inversions and smoke aloft, conditions in Inchelium, Wellpinit, and Colville were most smoky mid-morning to mid-afternoon.  Nearer to fires in Omak, Nespelem, and Republic, the most smoky periods were overnight/early morning while the least smoky periods were mid- to late afternoon before sundown.

Monitoring results from NE Washington area smoke monitors. Histograms graphs to the right of the map show AQI colors for 1 hr average readings, and the tic marks are at 0z (5 P.M.) for last 10 days.  To see this set of sites, click here, and click "Generate Plots" for detailed graphs.

Smoke from fires to the far SW (i.e., the Grizzly Bear and Cougar Creek fires) also affected the region's smoke concentrations today. Winds for the next couple days through Thursday will be lighter though.

Animation of GOES Visible Satellite imagery for this afternoon.

Active fire behavior is expected over the next couple days, in combination with these lighter SW winds. This combination is likely to result in more localized smoke impacts, especially near the fires in Wellpinit, Omak, Nespelem, and likely Inchelium.  

VIIRS remotely sensed fire activity (redder is more recent), with active smoke monitoring sites.

Firing operations to control the Northstar fire may also increase emissions tonight under the inversions, further impacting Omak. Inversions will also continue to trap smoke near the surface farther away from fires in the Spokane area.  Here's how the pattern looks across the region with the Bluesky Model for tonight and tomorrow (inversions will trap smoke everywhere, but redder pixels will have more smoke).

8/25/2015 Air Quality Forecast for SE Washington

An Air Resource Adviser assigned to the fires near Baker City, OR is including parts of Washington (Walla Walla and Clarkston) in his daily air quality/smoke forecasts.  See his report for today at this link:  http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/2015/08/82515-air-quality-report-for-ne-oregon.html

Air Quality Summary Report - NE Washington Area Command Fires Tuesday, August 25, 2015

This is an image for display, the PDF can be downloaded here

Map of active fires (red polygons) and active smoke monitoring sites (green) and scheduled smoke monitoring sites for the NE Washington Command Area

Air Quality Summary Report - Chelan and Methow Valley Fires Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Air Quality Summary Report   -  Chelan and Methow Valley Fires     Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Prepared by: Carolyn Kelly, Air Resource Advisor Trainee (ckelly8384@gmail.com) 

Andrea Holland, Air Resource Advisor (andreahollandsears@gmail.com)

Note: The Manson monitoring site has re-established.  Yesterday an air monitor was also installed in Brewster.  Tuesday: Decent mixing has allowed smoke to disperse overnight and into the morning in some affected communities. Expect to see generally improved air quality in the afternoon with smoky conditions gradually returning overnight. This pattern will be more apparent in Chelan and Manson.  Brewster will see improved air quality throughout the day. Wednesday:  Chelan and Manson will again see varying levels of smoke throughout the day. Twisp and Winthrop will not likely get much relief from the smoke. Leavenworth and Wenatchee may see some smoke drift during the day which should clear out by evening. Thursday: With uncertain meteorological information at this time, this forecast may change considerably.
Site	August 25 Air quality -Tuesday	August 26 Air Quality – Wednesday	August 27 Air Quality - Thursday	Comments
Chelan	Unhealthy	Moderate (am)	Unhealthy	Expect wide varying levels of air quality throughout Tuesday. Fire activity will be high with smoke drifting down Chelan lake in late afternoon. Same pattern likely on Wednesday.
		Unhealthy (pm)
Manson	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy
Brewster	Moderate	Moderate	USG	Up river winds will be favorable for good to moderate air quality conditions.
Winthrop	Unhealthy	USG	Unhealthy
		Unhealthy
Twisp	Unhealthy	USG	Unhealthy
		Unhealthy
Leavenworth	Good	Good	Good
Wenatchee	Good	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.

  

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

For more up to date information about smoke in Washington State, visit http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

8/24/2014 Respirator Masks

Respirator masks, labeled N95 or N100 can provide some protection from wildfire smoke. They can commonly be purchased at hardware and home repair stores and pharmacies for about $10-$20 for a box of 20 masks.

In addition, a number of agencies in Washington now have these masks available for free. Washington Emergency Management (WEM) has distributed 5,000 masks to Ferry County Sheriff's Office, and 5,000 to Tri County Health. An additional 20,000 are available from Okanogan County Public Health. Spokane Regional Health is holding an additional 13,000 masks supplied by WEM, but only for dissemination to outlying regions if needed.

Please note that the mask must be type N95 or N100 to be helpful. Also, if you have existing health or breathing issues, you should check with a doctor before using a mask as it can make breathing more difficult.

Further instructions on using a mask are available here:
English: http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/334-353.pdf
Español: http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/334-353-SP.pdf

FW: Kittitas County Press Release: Be Informed and Be Prepared for Poor Air Quality Conditions in Kittitas County

 

 

Kittitas County Press Release Public Health For Immediate Release Be Informed and Be Prepared for Poor Air Quality Conditions in Kittitas County Kittitas County, WA -08/24/2015 - Kittitas County is currently under the second Air Quality Alert issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). Fires from neighboring counties continue to affect the air quality in Kittitas County and the alert issued by Ecology is effective until further notice. The Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) wants residents to be aware that air quality issues will likely continue.  Changing weather conditions and changing fire conditions contribute to air quality in our county.  KCPHD wants residents to be aware of current air quality conditions in order to take necessary steps to stay healthy.   Air quality information can be accessed at any time via the Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) online https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/.  WAQA is a tool that measures the air quality with categories ranging from “good” to “hazardous” air.  Additional resources include the following: Washington Smoke Blog http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/ contains information about smoke as well as active wildfires. Puget Sound Clean Air’s Graphing Tool http://airgraphing.pscleanair.org/ shows real time changes for the station in Ellensburg. National Weather Service http://www.weather.gov/ has weather related alerts, including air quality. Washington State Department of Health’s Wildfire Smoke page http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/SmokeFromFires/WildfireSmoke explains the harm of wildfire smoke.   “We know that we have active residents who want to enjoy the outdoors.  We have students starting practice today for many school sports.  Ultimately, we want activities to resume, but safely,” asserts Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson.  “We want activities outdoor when we have “good” air and when air changes to “moderate” or worse, we want people to start making changes, which would include moving indoors.”   Attached is the “Air Pollution and School Activities” graph for specific recommendations based on air quality conditions.  For more information about health concerns relating to air quality or informational resources, please contact KCPHD at (509)-962-7515.  Read the full press release at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/uploads/news/press-releases/8692/Be Informed and Be Prepared for Poor Air Quality Conditions in Kittitas County.pdf. Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us ### For more information: Kasey Knutson, Public Information Officer, 509-962-7515

 

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8/24/2015 Statewide look at Air Quality and Smoke for Monday and Tuesday

Smoke Impacts Predicted for Today (Monday 8/24/2015)

The map below is a prediction of the 24 hour average smoke impacts for Monday August 24, 2015. Areas in close proximity to fires are impacted the most including virtually all of north central to eastern Washington.  In the southern part of the state, the Cougar Creek fire near Mt. Adams is predicted to send smoke towards Yakima and the Tri Cities area. Winds are predicted to pick up later today and may improve air quality somewhat in the Columbia Basin and near the east slopes of the Cascades.

The map below is a modeled prediction of how bad smoke may get for one hour at some point during the day on Monday August 24, 2015.  Virtually all areas east of the Cascades will experience very smoky and impaired air quality for at least a short time today. It looks like your best option for less impaired air quality will be west of the Cascades which should not see much in the way of smoke impacts. Or on the east side, Leavenworth, Ellensburg, and Wenatchee may have less smoke than other parts of eastern Washington.

Smoke Impacts Predicted for Tomorrow (Tuesday 8/25/2015)

The map below is again a 24-hour average of predicted smoke impacts in Washington but this is for tomorrow (Tuesday). Unfortunately there is no sign of any improvement in the situation for eastern Washington yet and in fact air quality may be somewhat worse tomorrow in most areas compared to today as winds lessen.

The map below is the prediction of worst case 1 hour smoke levels for tomorrow, Tuesday.  Smoke levels look like they will be just as bad as or worse than today (Monday).  The west side of the Cascades will be spared but the only areas on the eastside that may experience lighter smoke levels look to be Leavenworth and Ellensburg. Dark red areas near the fires and in low lying areas where smoke can pool are predicted to reach very high levels of smoke at some point during the day tomorrow.

Important: Please note the predictions from the smoke model shown above are experimental and depend on the accuracy of various other models of meteorology, fire location, and fire size.

Smoke forecast through Wednesday 26 August

Most of Western Washington cleared out as expected overnight and is showing Good air quality. Overnight temperature inversions will make small valley communities a little slower to clear out today.

Eastern Washington: strong southwest winds will pick up later today. While this increases fire risks, it will also help clear out smoke in the Columbia Basin and surrounding communities. Expect air quality to reach Good to Moderate levels in these areas today. Smoke in the Lewis-Clark valley and parts of Klickitat County might be slower to clear out, so may not improve beyond USG today.

Weather models are having a hard time with forecasts through the rest of this week. As of now the best available info for Tuesday and Wednesday calls for lighter winds and warm temperatures. This could cause some pooling of smoke around the above-mentioned communities, and lead to USG or Unhealthy air on occasion. In general, poor air at night and some clearing during the afternoon.

Forecasts for northcentral and northeast Washington communities are covered in other blog posts.

BTW, here's an interactive map of all the current fires with clickable info, tweets, Flickr pictures and other multimedia links.