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Air Monitoring Particulate Data
2006 Forest Fire Air Quality Updates
September 1, 2006
10:00 AM
Current Situation
There is a big plume of smoke over the Derby Fire area this morning visible on this morning’s satellite photo. The area from Big Timber to Melville and east to Reedpoint is blanketed in smoke this morning. Smoke is also choking the Mill Creek drainage in the Paradise Valley south of Livingston and the West Boulder drainage southeast of Livingston from the fires there. Conditions are estimated to be UNHEALTHY in those locations. Western and southwestern Montana is having a beautiful sunny day with no haze as the smoke from the fires in Idaho has not come across the border for the last 36 hours. Dispersion will be limited today and smoke in Big Timber area will be headed off to the northwest towards White Sulphur Springs and possibly Helena and Great Falls later today. See the forecast below for details. Local impact in the Derby and Paradise Fire area could be a problem today. Residents there need to pay attention to current conditions and use the VISIBILITY GUIDELINES to determine smoke levels in their area and guide their activity decisions.
Morning satellite photo centered on Great Falls
Two MODIS shots from yesterday (Aug 31) taken at 12:31 PM. The
second image (click for larger view)
is a map of the same area as the first but showing the satellite heat detections.
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 1, 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 | Derby Fire area (est) West Boulder area (est) Mill Creek area (est) |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | |
| Moderate | Hamilton T8 Missoula T8 |
| 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.
Forecast
High pressure is in control today. Western Valleys will have very poor dispersion and some may never mix out today. This will keep the smoke from the fires in Idaho from crossing into Montana. Easterly and southeasterly winds are setting up across Montana east of the divide. This has already started to push the plume of smoke over Big Timber to the northwest into the Crazy Mountains and the smoke should reach the White Sulphur Springs area later today. The smoke may reach as far as Helena and Great Falls by this evening. The winds will be light and dispersion will not be very good there either. The smoke from the fires in the Big Timber and Livingston areas will be slow to clear, but as the mixing height increases this afternoon, areas currently impacted by the smoke in their location will see relief. However, there are many areas this morning with residual smoke aloft that will mix down to the surface this afternoon and they will see an increase in smoke levels. Residents should pay attention to local conditions and use the visibility guidelines to guide their activity decisions as the situation changes.
John Coefield
Meteorologist
MDEQ
