Oregon Smoke Information

CONTACTS: Jackson Baures, Public Health Division Manager, 541-774-8039 Meghan Fagundes, Oregon DEQ Air Quality Natural Resource Specialist, 541-776-6089 Date of release: July 31, 2015 / 3:00 pm Watch for Unhealthy Smoke Levels Jackson County health officials and DEQ urge people to watch for unhealthy smoke levels. It is important for people to be observant of the air quality during the wildfire season, smoke levels can rise and fall depending on weather factors including wind direction. During a wildfire smoke event, Jackson County health officials and DEQ advise residents to take the following precautions:  Be aware of smoke concentrations in your area and avoid the places with highest concentrations.  Avoid smoke either by leaving the area or protecting yourself by staying indoors, and by closing windows and doors  Avoid strenuous outdoor activity in smoky conditions.  People exposed to smoky conditions and who suffer from asthma or other respirato...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   CONTACT: Dawnelle Marshall                                             Douglas County Health Department                           Douglas County, Oregon                     High Temperatures and Smoky Air Could Cause Health Problems   Douglas County public health officials urge people across the State to take precautions as temperatures and air quality reach potentially unhealthy levels.   The National Weather Service is predicting weather that could bring prolonged wildfire smoke exposure to communities...

Please check back for another update regarding this fire later today. For now, here is a link to the Douglas Forest Protective Association's facebook page with current information on the fire, which will be handled by the OR Department of Forestry as of 10 this morning: https://www.facebook.com/DouglasForestProtectiveAssociation

Some moderate lightning across NE Oregon late yesterday triggered a few fires. The one new fire of concern is the Rye Fire in the far NE corner of the state. It is currently about 5 miles NE of Paradise and 38 miles N of Enterprise, on Rye Ridge just above Joseph Creek. As of 10 A.M. today the fire was estimated at 800 acres with potential for growth.   An upper trough descends on the NW over the weekend and will bring scattered lightning across eastern Oregon this weekend. The system will also bring cooler and cloudy weather, which will keep the potential for large fires low. A slow warming and drying trend will emerge next week as a ridge builds in from the south with westerly flow across most of the Pacific Northwest. Other active fires in Oregon are as follows:   Marion OR-WIF-150208. IMT3. 19 miles SE of Detroit, OR. Start 7/18. Full Suppression. Timber. Cause: Lightning. 121 acres (+0). 95% containment. Minimal fire behavior. Corner Creek OR-OCF-000297. IMT...

Oregon Fire Potential: An upper trough will move through Oregon today and tomorrow bringing cool and cloudy conditions with some showers. Thunderstorms will develop over southern and eastern Oregon today although the main effects will be more cloudiness, cooler temperatures and higher humidity. Thunderstorm chances diminish through the end of the week before increasing again over the weekend across eastern Oregon. However, most of the thunderstorms are expected to possess wetting rain. upper trough will move through the area over the weekend before the ridge begins to build next week. The probability of new large fires developing through this weekend remains low.    There are still two fires ongoing in Oregon, although they are at full suppression: Marion OR-WIF-150208. IMT3. 19 miles SE of Detroit, OR. Start 7/18. Full Suppression. Timber. Cause: Lightning. 121 acres (+0). 90% containment. Minimal fire behavior. Private land, fish hatchery, boy scout camp threaten...

Dry and stable NW flow aloft will be over us for the next couple of days and burning conditions should remain benign with this scenario. A generally dry forecast is expected across Oregon for the next 36 hours with lightning decreasing significantly, although wind will increase through gaps in the Cascades and ultimately across northern portions of Eastern Oregon. Another low pressure system will drop into the Pacific Northwest over the weekend as a weak thermal trough will likely set up in the Cascades on Saturday. This could elevate burning conditions a bit across eastern Oregon with a chance of scattered thunderstorms on Saturday. All in all, no critical levels of "significant fire potential" are expected during the next 10 days.   There are still two fires ongoing in Oregon, although they are all at or near full suppression at this time:     Corner Creek OR-OCF-000297. IMT3. 11 miles S of Dayville OR. Start 6/29. Full Suppression. Brush/Grass/Timber. Cause: ...

Overall, fewer fires this week, with greater containment. Greatest potential for significant smoke impact is from the group of wildfires in central Oregon near Dayville.  Weather changes are expected later this week, with slightly cooler temps but increased possibility of lightning strikes, creating new fire potential, mostly in central and southern part of the state.

July 2, 2015 Several fires are burning between Prineville and John Day, as well as other parts of the state. The largest of these is the Corner Creek Fire, located 11 miles south of Dayville, OR.  Yesterday, this fire grew to  approximately 10,000 acres by 4 pm.  Here's a photo from yesterday: Smoke could be seen from the MODIS sensor on the Aqua Satellite overpass yesterday afternoon. Air quality in Burns degraded to the moderate category for an hour last night, around 7 pm, but quickly rebounded to the good category.    Fire growth is expected today with the hot, dry weather.  Today's smoke forecast shows light (pink) and moderate (dark pink) around Dayville and Mt. Vernon, with smoke traveling to the south of the fires.   Forecasted 24-hour average PM2.5 for Thursday July 2, 2015.  On Friday, light smoke is expected to travel south-southeast of the fires, as shown below.   Forecasted 24-hour average PM...

July 1, 2015 Although the following message is primarily addressing wildfires, we know that these can be large sources of smoke, which can affect communities for weeks.  As such, it seems appropriate to post this on the Oregon Smoke Blog. A reminder from the Pacific Northwest Wildfire Coordinating Group MOST WILDFIRES CAN BE PREVENTED PORTLAND - With the July 4th holiday approaching, the Pacific Northwest Wildfire Coordinating Group (PNWCG) would like to remind outdoor recreationists in Oregon and Washington to use care to prevent wildfires. Parts of the region have not had significant precipitation since mid-March, and conditions are very dry across many areas in both states. Wildfires can start and grow much more easily when conditions are dry. Discharging fireworks or explosives, including exploding targets, is prohibited. Fireworks can cause costly and dangerous wildfires, especially when conditions are hot and dry and vegetation is receptive to sparks. Fi...