Saturday, August 18, 2018
Friday, August 17, 2018
8/17/2018 Wildfire in Washington Update
Lightning over the last 24 hours has ignited a few new fires in the state although the story for Washington fires remains the large Cougar Creek, Crescent Mtn., and McLeod fires in the Okanogan/Wenatchee National Forest. Crescent Mtn in particular became active yesterday and spotted into a new area. Summaries of fires shown below. Much more info for most is available here: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/?state=49 .
Smoke from these fires continues to degrade air quality from Winthrop and Twisp, south to Entiat and Wenatchee, and east to Republic, Colville, and Inchelium. For the time being, meteorological conditions have kept smoke from fires in Canada north of the border but the fires in Canada are still large, numerous, and active and it would seem that smoke is likely to head toward Washington again in a few days. So if you're in an area that is experiencing good air quality this is your chance to get out and go for that run or take the kids out to play because conditions look like they will change back to smoky again by late in the day on Sunday.
Westside/Olympic Penninsula
Maple. 10 mi N of Hoodsport, WA. Start 8/4. Monitor/Confine/Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 1,464 acres (+100). 52% containment. Moderate fire behavior. Timber. T&E habitat threatened. Road, trail and area closures.
Yakima Area
Miriam. 25 mi SE of Mt Rainier. Start 7/30. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 2,650 acres (+250). 10% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. Steep terrain. Evacuations in effect. White Pass Ski Resort and T&E species habitat threatened. Road, trail and area closures.
Smoke from these fires continues to degrade air quality from Winthrop and Twisp, south to Entiat and Wenatchee, and east to Republic, Colville, and Inchelium. For the time being, meteorological conditions have kept smoke from fires in Canada north of the border but the fires in Canada are still large, numerous, and active and it would seem that smoke is likely to head toward Washington again in a few days. So if you're in an area that is experiencing good air quality this is your chance to get out and go for that run or take the kids out to play because conditions look like they will change back to smoky again by late in the day on Sunday.
Westside/Olympic Penninsula
Maple. 10 mi N of Hoodsport, WA. Start 8/4. Monitor/Confine/Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 1,464 acres (+100). 52% containment. Moderate fire behavior. Timber. T&E habitat threatened. Road, trail and area closures.
Yakima Area
Miriam. 25 mi SE of Mt Rainier. Start 7/30. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 2,650 acres (+250). 10% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. Steep terrain. Evacuations in effect. White Pass Ski Resort and T&E species habitat threatened. Road, trail and area closures.
New: Winnier Road. 13 mi SE
of Toppenish, WA. Start 08/16. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 349 acres.
Lined. Limited information available.
Methow Valley/Chelan/Entiat Area
McLeod. 8 mi N of
Mazama, WA. Start 8/11. Monitor/Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 3,948 acres
(+1,148). 0% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. Structures threatened.
Crescent Mtn. 16
mi W of Winthrop WA. Start 7/29. Monitor/Confine/Full Suppression. Cause:
Unknown. 19,700 acres (+2,824). 37% containment. Moderate fire behavior. Timber.
Structures, recreation and timber threatened. Evacuation notices. Road, trail
and area closures.
Cougar Creek. 25
mi W of Chelan, WA. Start 7/28. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 34,482
acres (+2,874). 35% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber and slash.
Evacuation notices. Area restrictions, road, trail and area closures.
Structures, cultural resources, timber, infrastructure and recreation
threatened.
Colville Area
Boyds. 3 mi W of
Kettle Falls, WA. Start 08/11. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 3,065 acres
(+65). 27% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber and grass. Evacuations in
effect. Major highway closures and structures threatened.
Horns Mountain. 9
mi NE of Orient, WA. Start 08/11. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 1,293
acres (+105). 15% containment. Moderate fire behavior. Timber. Timber
threatened.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Breathe a Little Fresh Air... Please!
A lot of Western Washington saw the smoke clear out last night and through this morning. The air quality is in the Good to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range in most western locations and it should clear up even more through today.
This westerly flow that we are experiencing should also bring some momentary relief Friday evening for residents in counties like Kittitas, Grant, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla. Neighboring counties may also see a bit of clearing. Air quality in central and eastern Washington will vary, but with the nearby fires, residents in Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties should expect continued smoky conditions through the weekend.
Unfortunately, these winds also mean there is a potential for fire growth...
And, now for the really bad news, the forecast for Sunday night is for winds from the north which could add more smoke from Canada into the region.
PM2.5 Across Washington (8 - 9 am; Thursday)
This westerly flow that we are experiencing should also bring some momentary relief Friday evening for residents in counties like Kittitas, Grant, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla. Neighboring counties may also see a bit of clearing. Air quality in central and eastern Washington will vary, but with the nearby fires, residents in Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties should expect continued smoky conditions through the weekend.
Unfortunately, these winds also mean there is a potential for fire growth...
And, now for the really bad news, the forecast for Sunday night is for winds from the north which could add more smoke from Canada into the region.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
A little clearing in Western Washington
Many people in Western Washington are wondering... when will this smoke clear out? Thankfully we have seen a little clearing start to occur this afternoon. Some monitors in Western Washington are down to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups and a couple are even down to Moderate. Most monitors in Western Washington are still in the Unhealthy range due to lingering smoke, but more clearing is expected through tonight and tomorrow. It may be short lived, but we expect at least a couple days of cleaner air coming up.
Be thankful you aren't in Alberta! Take a look at the giant smoke storm that traveled east over Canada today.
Be thankful you aren't in Alberta! Take a look at the giant smoke storm that traveled east over Canada today.
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| MODIS Image for 11 am on Wednesday Fire Locations Shown in Red |
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