North Columbia Basin Smoke Outlook for 8/14/18

8/13/2018 Smoky State overview

Smoke is moving south into the state from Canada plus some of the smoke from fires east of the Cascades has filtered over the mountains into the Puget Sound area. There are other fires in the state contributing to the mix, including the large Grass Valley fire near Grand Coulee Dam but the fires indicated are the ones contributing the most to poor air quality around the state. (Satellite photo from about 2pm this afternoon. Original, large image can be seen here:  ModisAug13)

Where is all this smoke coming from?

A shift in winds over the weekend brought a thick haze from Canada that is covering most of our state.  Fortunately, residents in Western Washington are still experiencing Good air quality, with the exception being places at higher elevations in the Cascades experiencing air quality that is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.  Some smoke might make its way from Canada into the Puget Sound lowlands later today and tomorrow, but westerly winds should return on Wednesday and clear out any lingering smoke.

MODIS Image from Sunday afternoon with fire locations shown in red.

Residents in the northern parts of Central and Eastern Washington are experiencing severe smoky conditions due to both local and regional wildfires that are currently burning.  Monitors are showing Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy air quality from Wenatchee to Spokane, with no clearing expected in the near-term forecast.  Light winds from the north are expected to continue throughout the day, which means residents in Yakima, Benton, and Franklin counties could see conditions worsen to Moderate to Unhealthy.  Southeastern Washington may not get too bad, but it won't be surprising if we see Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air quality in Walla Walla, Asotin, and other nearby counties.

PM2.5 Monitors on Monday Morning

The National Weather Service has issued an air quality alert for all of central and eastern Washington.  This will be updated on Wednesday, and we hope southern counties will only be experiencing short-lived smoky conditions.

North Columbia Basin Outlook for 8/13/18

Smoke Outlook for North Columbia Basin 8/12/18

Smoke outlook for North Columbia Basin 08/11/18

Weekend smoke update: yes it will get better, but there's a catch

Prefer a video chat of the forecast?

Ecology and DNR staff discuss the smoke forecast and health-protection steps you can take:




Prefer the forecast the same old way?

Satellite picture from this morning shows a lot of smoke overhead and fires in the Cascades puffing out a lot of smoke.

The clouds offshore are a harbinger of a cold front that will clear things out by tonight into Saturday. Most of western WA should see Good air this weekend, but there might be some lightning on Saturday so the potential exists for new fire starts.

Much of eastern Washington has been choking and frying all week but will see some improvement, both from smoke and heat. Areas further from the fires are likely to enjoy Good air and this is a great time to throw open all the doors and windows to flush out homes.

Unfortunately areas closer to the fires, especially Chelan and Okanogan counties will only enjoy modest improvements.

Catch-22
Them winds dont come with no string attached. They're strong enough to worsen fire growth. Early next week we're likely to see a return to calmer conditions so fresh smoke will not dissipate easily.

Staying Safe in Extreme Heat and Poor Air Quality: Conversation with Spokane Regional Health District Health Officer, Dr. Bob Lutz

Need your questions answered by Dr. Lutz? Visit SRHD's Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/spokanehealth/

Smoke Outlook for North Columbia Basin 8/10/18

Smoke layer starts to erode by Friday night. Says "I'll be back"

Western Washingtonians have smelled a little smoke and seen more aloft. At the time of writing, not a single monitor is showing Good air anywhere east of the Cascades. Not a lot of wind movement between now and Friday evening, so smoke will just keep accumulating statewide. Fires are expected to grow.

Expecting some areas of Moderate air in western WA through Friday evening, while eastern WA will just keep seeing its air deteriorating air (Moderate or worse) through early Saturday morning.

A cold front will swing by Friday evening and start to flush out smoke. A windy and cooler weekend is likely in eastern WA, reducing smoke accumulation in most areas but also worsening fire spread.

9AM Thursday vertical smoke

11PM Friday vertical smoke

Here's what the total smoke layer through the atmosphere looks like today and late tomorrow. The cleaning power of nature will be on display in Washington! Oregon/ California smoke (which has mostly stayed aloft) will be less of a concern this weekend.

Expect mostly Good air in most of Western WA this weekend. Areas away from the fires are likely to scrub out (Good air) over the weekend, but increased smoke production from larger fires during frontal passage is likely to keep cities in Chelan and Okanogan counties at Moderate/ USG.


By early next week, still conditions are likely to return, ushering a return to smoke similar to what we've endured this week. Notice also in the figures above how a series of new fires in central British Columbia are producing a lot more smoke. Wind flows by Monday might start moving some of that smoke toward Washington.

In other news:

1. The US Forest Service has provided Washington with an Air Resource Advisor, who will be producing detailed, localized air quality forecasts for most cities in Chelan and Okanogan Counties, like the one just below this blog post.
2. New air monitors have been set up in Plain and Newport, with another en route to Republic. Air quality in those areas can tracked on the map above. Here's what the samplers look like. 

Smoke in the background is a solemn reminder of what people in those communities are enduring.