2006 Forest Fire Air Quality Updates
September 14, 2006
10:00 AM
Current Situation
One more smoky day for areas of southern Montana as a cool wet air mass pushes into the state from the northwest. Particulate levels have improved dramatically in northwestern Montana and are down to MODERATE levels in the reporting communities south of the push from the north. Cooler and wetter weather will help scrub the smoke out of the air and will slow or stop most fires. See the forecast below for details. Areas near the active fires in the southern part of the state and downwind of the fires in southern Idaho will still see some local smoke impact today. Residents in those areas should pay attention to conditions in their location 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
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 14, 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) |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | |
| Moderate | Hamilton T8 Helena T8 West Yellowstone T24 Butte T8 Dillon Vis (4) |
|
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
Fresh air is pouring into the state from the northwest and areas that are still smoky this morning should see substantial relief by tonight. Ahead of the cooler air mass, winds will still be gusty but with the cooler temperatures and higher humidities, smoke production should be substantially lower and smoke levels are expected to continue to improve throughout the day. Strong local impacts near the active fires are still expected today, residents are cautioned to check their local conditions using the visibility guidelines to guide their activity decisions as the situation changes.
John Coefield
Meteorologist
MDEQ
