Air Quality Summary Report-Pioneer Fire, Tuesday August 23, 2016

Air Quality Summary Report -  Pioneer Fire    For: Tuesday, August 23, 2016 

Air Resource Advisor: Tod Johnson (tod_johnson@nps.gov), ARA (T) Karen Dillman (kdillman@fs.fed.us)

FIRE, WEATHER AND SMOKE SYNOPSIS Weather:  Cool temperatures and low humidity today. Temperatures will be in the low 60’s and 70’s on the ridges, higher in the valleys. Relative humidity 15 to 20 percent on the ridges, 10 in the valleys. Winds will be light mostly terrain driven, with gusts up to 12, particularly in the Payette Canyon area. On the ridges NW to W winds 5-7 with gusts to 15 mph. Inversion break expected around noon. Fire Activity: Today’s fire growth will continue north of Pioneerville and Highway 17 in Deadwood Canyon. Burnout operations will continue as conditions permit northeast of Pioneerville. Deadwood Canyon fire burned about a mile up the canyon yesterday and today is heading for an area with heavy fuel. Smoke Summary: Strong W winds washed some smoke from the valleys and surrounding communities yesterday, while other areas experienced greater impacts as a result of cooler temperatures and smoke pooling in the lower areas.  Smoke conditions will be similar or worse today due to lighter N NW winds and fire activity continuing. With the passing cold front and lower wind speed, fires remain active. Today, the most significant smoke impacts will be to Lowman, Stanley, and Ketchum. Surrounding fires in the region will contribute smoke to communities in the forecasted area.
Air Quality Outlook  (smoke related)
Sites with air quality monitors (based on concentration PM 2.5 ug/m3 24-hr avg.)
Site	Yesterday		Today		Tomorrow		Comments for Today
Centerville	data		Moderate		USG		Improving conditions during the afternoon
Fairfield	Good		Moderate		Moderate		No significant improvement
Garden City	Good		Good		Moderate		Periods of hazy skies
Garden Valley  School & ICP/Helibase	Moderate		Good		Moderate		Periods of hazy skies
Idaho City	Good		Moderate		Moderate		Improving in the afternoon
Ketchum	Good		USG		Moderate		No significant improvements throughout the day
Meridian	Good		Good		Moderate		Hazy conditions during the day
Nampa	Moderate		Good		Moderate		Hazy conditions during the day
Lowman	data		USG		USG		Improving conditions during the afternoon
Stanley	USG		USG		Moderate		Some improvement in the evening hours
Sites without a monitor
Site		Today		Tomorrow		Comments for Today
Lucky Peak Rec. Area		Unhealthy		USG		Smoke pooling in the drainage bottom today
Disclaimer: Conditions may change quickly. These predictions are based on anticipated weather and fire activity. USG – Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups Idaho Smoke Blog: https://idsmoke.blogspot.com