2006 Forest Fire Air Quality Updates
September 13, 2006
10:00 AM
Current Situation
Fire activity levels increased dramatically yesterday and there is a lot of smoke over Montana this morning. UNHEALTHY levels of smoke are being measured in Missoula and Helena this morning and UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS levels are present in Kalispell, Hamilton, and Butte. Smoke conditions near the active fires are expected to be UNHEALTHY or worse. A major weather system is just entering northwest Montana this morning and that will have a dramatic effect on the smoke by tomorrow. See the forecast below for details. Residents near the active fires in the state should pay attention to conditions in their area and use the VISIBILITY GUIDELINES to determine smoke levels in their area and guide their activity decisions through the day as conditions change.
Morning satellite photo centered on Great Falls
These two MODIS pictures were taken yesterday (Sep 12) at
2:40 PM MDT.
The first one is an overview of Montana and Idaho. The second is a close-up of the big plume
from the Jungle fire south of Big Timber in the west Boulder Drainage
area.
WeatherBug web cam photo of Livingston, MT 59047 by Pat Gilligan
DEQ web cam facing north towards the "Sleeping Giant" mountain
MODIS Active Fire Mapping Program
This morning’s analysis from NOAA's satellite services division shows the active fires in Montana and the smoke plumes combining and spreading downwind (the analyzed smoke is based on yesterday’s satellite coverage, the fire detects are based on last nights satellite coverage).
Red indicates hot spot detected. Grey represents smoke seen by satellite. Fire
size is exaggerated for visibility at this scale. To identify individual fires on graphic above go
here: http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/lg_fire2.php
Real time particulate information is currently available in most of the larger urban areas from several different sources including: DEQ run PM-10 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. Smoke Categories
Updated 10:00 AM September 13, 2006
Locations and severity of forest fire smoke reports since midnight of the date above at reporting stations.
| Smoke Conditions | City |
|---|---|
| Hazardous | |
| Very Unhealthy | |
| Unhealthy | Active Fire area (est) Missoula T24 Helena T1 |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | Kalispell T1 Hamilton T8 Butte T24 |
| Moderate | Libby T8 Whitefish T8 West Yellowstone T24 Great Falls Vis(2) Dillon Vis (1) Bozeman Vis(3) |
|
T1(x) |
One-hour TEOM value (number of values) |
| T8(x)) | Eight-hour average TEOM value (number of values) |
| T244 | 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.
Forecast
More smoke will be pushed into the state ahead of the frontal passage today and tonight as gusty winds fan the fires in Montana and Idaho. Dispersion will be good to excellent with a generally west to east flow but the smoke production will keep particulate levels high in most areas until the front passes. Most of the precipitation with this event is forecast to occur Friday, but higher humidity levels and cooler temperatures should slow the fires down behind the front enough to reduce the smoke concentrations dramatically in most areas tomorrow or by Friday at the latest. Strong local impacts near the active fires are expected to be at UNHEALTHY levels or worse today, residents are strongly cautioned to check their local conditions using the visibility guidelines to guide their activity decisions as the situation changes.
John Coefield
Meteorologist
MDEQ
