Prepared by: Greg Johnson, Air Resource Advisor, Baker City, OR
Smoke Synopsis:
Smoke from the fires in the region combined with lighter winds and less
dispersion has led to poor air quality over the region. Nearly every reporting station has had
Unhealthy levels of the Air Quality Index of the past 24 hours, with some
places occasionally going into the Very Unhealthy category. Warm high pressure over the area will boost
temperatures back above normal through Thursday. Winds will start out light and mostly from
the east today, slowly shifting to light southerly later today through
Monday. Dispersion will be fairly poor
today and only slightly better Monday. Smoke
and associated particulate matter concentrations are likely to keep the air
unhealthy in many places through Monday, especially during night and morning
hours. Some of the locations predicted
to be Unhealthy today and Monday (below) could be Very Unhealthy if conditions
worsen slightly. As the week progresses a southwest wind flow will develop and
should begin to push smoke out of the area more consistently. However, many valleys in NE Oregon, SE
Washington and w. central Idaho will continue to be very smoky though
Thursday. Atmospheric instability also
will slowly increase after today which will provide slightly better smoke
dispersion but could also enhance fire activity.
Air Quality Outlook:
Site
|
Sunday
August 23
|
Monday
August 24
|
Tuesday
August 25
|
Baker
City
|
Unhealthy
|
USG
|
USG
|
Elgin
|
Unhealthy
|
Unhealthy
|
Unhealthy
|
Enterprise/Joseph
|
Unhealthy
|
Unhealthy
|
Unhealthy
|
Halfway
|
Unhealthy
|
Unhealthy
|
USG
|
La
Grande
|
Unhealthy
|
USG
|
USG
|
Lewiston
ID/Clarkston WA
|
Unhealthy
|
Unhealthy
|
Unhealthy
|
McCall
ID
|
Unhealthy
|
USG
|
USG
|
Ontario/Payette
ID
|
USG
|
Moderate
|
Moderate
|
Pendleton
|
USG
|
USG
|
Moderate
|
Troy
|
Unhealthy
|
Unhealthy
|
Unhealthy
|
Vale
|
USG
|
Moderate
|
Moderate
|
Walla
Walla WA
|
USG
|
USG
|
Moderate
|
Weiser
ID
|
USG
|
USG
|
Moderate
|
Links:
Oregonsmoke.blogspot.com – Additional smoke information for the State of
Oregon.
NOTE – in table above “USG” stands for “Unhealthy
for Sensitive Groups”
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
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
|
||||||||||||||||||||