8/28/15: Air Quality Report for NE Oregon and surrounding areas

Air Quality Report
Friday August 28, 2015
NE Oregon, SE Washington and W Central Idaho            
Prepared by:  Greg Johnson, Air Resource Advisor, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Baker City OR

Today will see the final day of the extremely warm and smoky conditions, with only moderate winds, before a major change occurs.  The transition from summer to early fall that has been mentioned all week will start to occur later today into Saturday, and air quality should generally begin to improve significantly in most areas over the weekend.  The chances for significant rain are very low, unfortunately.  There is some small risk of dry lightning, especially in Idaho, on Saturday.  The big news on Saturday will be much higher winds, coming mostly from the southwest over the ridges and clearing out most valleys by afternoon.  The winds will also pose a risk of increased fire activity on all fires, and so smoke production tomorrow may actually be greater than today despite cooler and cloudier conditions.  Temperatures will be much cooler Sunday through all of next week, and there may be some precipitation about mid-week.  Thus, smoke production should steadily decline from most fires after Saturday, with improving air quality except for areas directly downwind of the fires.  There could still be considerable valley smoke in some areas tonight, but this should also be less Saturday night.
Air Quality Outlook:
Site		Friday August 28	Saturday August 29		Sunday August 30		Comments
Baker City		USG	Moderate		Moderate
Elgin		USG	Moderate		Moderate
Enterprise/Joseph		USG	Moderate		Moderate
Halfway		USG	Moderate		Moderate
La Grande		USG	Moderate		Moderate		Night smoke from Grizzly Bear
Lewiston ID/Clarkston WA		Unhealthy	USG		USG		Grizzly Bear smoke throughout the period
McCall ID		USG	Good		Good		Teepee Springs and Rapid fire smoke today
Ontario/Payette ID		Moderate	Good		Good
Pendleton		USG	USG		Moderate		Smoke Friday night from Grizzly Bear
Riggins ID		Unhealthy	Moderate		Moderate		Caution:  Smoke from Teepee Springs Fire could result in significant smoke at night
Troy		Very Unhealthy	Unhealthy		Unhealthy		From Grizzly Bear Fire
Vale		Moderate	Good		Good
Walla Walla WA		USG	Moderate		Moderate		Smoke Friday night from Grizzly Bear
Weiser ID		Moderate	Good		Good
AQI Index Actions to Protect Yourself Good Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk. Moderate Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people. For example, people who are unusually sensitive to ozone may experience respiratory symptoms. Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups - USG Although general public is not likely to be affected at this AQI range, people with lung disease, older adults and children are at a greater risk from exposure to ozone, whereas persons with heart and lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from the presence of particles in the air Unhealthy            Everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects, and members of the sensitive groups may experience more serious effects. Very Unhealthy   This would trigger a health alert signifying that everyone may experience more serious health effects. Hazardous This would trigger a health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected. Links:    Oregon Smoke Information:   http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/    AirNow:  www.airnow.gov    Idaho Smoke Information:  http://idsmoke.blogspot.com/    Washington Smoke Information:  http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/
Warning: These data have been obtained from automated instruments and have not been subjected to a quality assurance review to determine their accuracy. They are presented for public awareness and should not be considered final. Conditions such as power outages and equipment malfunctions can produce invalid data.
1 Since wildfires often occur in remote areas, air monitoring equipment may not be available. The following table provides a quick method to assess air quality in your area. For more detailed information you can go to the following site: http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/burning/wildfires/visibility.htm
Using the 5-3-1 Visibility Index
Distance you can see*	Your are:							You have:
	·  An adult ·  A teenager ·  An older child			·  Age 65 and over ·  Pregnant ·  A young child		OR		·  Asthma ·  Respiratory illness ·  Lung or heart disease
5 miles	check visibility			minimize outdoor activity
3 miles	minimize outdoor activity			stay inside
1 mile	stay inside			stay inside
No matter how far you can see, if you feel like you are having health effects from smoke exposure, take extra care to stay inside or get to an area with better air quality.  You should also see your doctor or other health professional as needed.
* less reliable under high humidity conditions