Updated Noon MDT Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Valid through Noon MDT Friday, September 6, 2013
Smoke Outlook
Southwest and South central Idaho experienced Moderate air quality over the weekend. Smoke from the Weiser Complex, near Weiser and the Kelley fire Northeast of Mountain impacted the area. Smoke from the Rim Fire in California also made its way into Idaho on Saturday.
Precipitation is likely across the entire state in varying amounts today with some regions experiencing water content over 200% of normal. South-southwest flow will continue to stream monsoon moisture into the western and central portions of Idaho today. The upper-level low off shore of Washington state is quasi-stationary, and will persist in that general vicinity until Thursday, when it will begin to move into the Pacific Northwest. A cold front will pass through southern Idaho late Thursday night/Friday morning and a drying trend will follow into Friday, thereby limiting precipitation to northeast Oregon and Idaho’s Central Mountains. Fire activity is expected to be minimal until the pattern changes this weekend.
Smoke is expected to move north to the Grangeville area before heading north-east through Montana. Smoke impacts are expected to be light given minimal fire activity. Most areas are expected to be in the Good air quality range throughout this week. Atlanta, Mountain Home, Fairfield, and Ketchum may experience periods of Moderate air quality.
6 emergency monitors have been installed in Idaho to help monitor smoke impacts from wildfires:
· DEQ has installed monitors in Mountain Home, Fairfield, Ketchum, and east Boise. The information can be found at http://app.airsis.com/USFS/fleet.aspx
o Fairfield – #Idaho1000
o Mountain Home - #Idaho1002
o Ketchum - #Idaho1005
o Boise - #Idaho1003
· The USFS installed monitors in Atlanta and Challis. The information can be found at http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/smoke.pl
o Atlanta monitor is Smoke#13
o Challis monitor is Smoke#21
o Users should be aware that the Forest Service site reports the data in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). To convert from UTS to Mountain Daylight Time, subtract 6 hours.
View DEQ near-real time monitoring at: http://airquality.deq.idaho.gov/
Smoke forecasts are dependent on predicted fire growth and weather. If conditions change unexpectedly, impacts could occur. When visibility starts to go below 5 miles, sensitive groups should minimize outdoor activities. Everyone else should minimize prolonged or physical activity outdoors. Refer to the Smoke and Health Tab on the Idaho Smoke Information Blog for additional health information.
Your eyes are your best tools to determine if it’s safe to be outside. Even if you smell smoke, the air quality may still be good.
| AQI Category | Visibility (miles) |
| Good | 11+ |
| Moderate | 6-10 |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 3-5 |
| Unhealthy | 1½ -2¾ |
| Very Unhealthy | 1-1¼ |
| Hazardous | Less than 1 |
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