Montana DEQ Forest Fire Smoke Advisory
August 5, 2005
10:00 AM
Current Situation
Smoke from the fires along the I-90 corridor in the Alberton area has filled the Clark Fork River Valley in the Alberton Gorge area this morning and local concentrations are expected to be at levels of concern. The smoke will likely move into Missoula later today and residents will need to stay aware of local conditions to make activity decisions.
Today's analysis from NOAA's satellite services division shows the active fires in the Northwest US and Canada and the smoke plumes spreading out downwind and layering on top of each other.
Gray indicates smoke plume.
Red indicates hot spot detected.
Fire size is exaggerated for visibility at this scale
To identify individual fires on graphic above go to the USDA - Remote Sensing Applications Center
Real time particulate information is currently available in most of the larger urban areas from several different sources including: DEQ run PM-10 TEOMS and BAMS and PM2.5 BAMS, NWS ASOS visibility monitors, and USFS remote access Nephelometers and BAMS .
This morning's smoke report is below, comparing particulate levels where we have information to MDEQ's Forest Fire health advisory levels.
Updated 10:00 AM August 5, 2005
Locations and severity of forest fire smoke reports since midnight of the date above at reporting stations.
| Smoke Conditions | City |
|---|---|
| Hazardous | |
| Very Unhealthy | |
| Unhealthy | Alberton Gorge(est) |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | |
| Moderate | |
| Good |
|
T1(x) |
One-hour TEOM value (number of values) |
| T8(x) | Eight-hour average TEOM value(number of values) |
| T24 | 24 hour average TEOM value |
| Vis(x) | Visibility value(number of hours) |
| Vis(am/pm) | Visibility value from twice/day reporting stations |
Local impacts in areas immediately adjacent to active fires are expected to exceed some or all of the advisory levels. DEQ recommends the use of local visibility guidelines to evaluate possible health risks and make informed activity decisions. Link to Smoke Categories.
Forecast
Smoke conditions in the Alberton Gorge area should improve later today as the smoke has a chance to lift out. Smoke will likely start moving into the Missoula area this afternoon but should clear tonight. The Alberton Gorge area will likely fill back up with smoke tonight. It will be a hot day with good dispersion but no major wind events so fire impacts are expected to remain local. Smoke concentrations will continue to be a problem in areas immediately downwind of active fires. Residents in those areas should remain aware of local conditions and use the visibility guidelines as the situation changes.
John Coefield
Meteorologist
MDEQ
