Air Quality Summary Report-Pioneer Fire-Wednesday August 24, 2016

Air Quality Summary Report - Pioneer Fire      For: Wednesday, August 24, 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 continue today, temperatures in the high 60’s on the ridges, near 80 degrees in the valleys. Relative humidity 20 to 25 percent in most areas of fire. Winds will be light, mostly terrain driven, on the ridges  NW 5 to 7 mph. Inversion break expected around noon to 1 pm. Slight chance of rain on the eastern edge of the fire. Fire Activity: Expect active fire north of Pioneerville and Highway 17 in Deadwood Canyon. Burnout operations will continue as necessary northeast of Pioneerville. Fire behavior moderating in comparison to yesterday in the Deadwood Canyon area. Smoke Summary: NW and W winds moved smoke out of the eastern valleys and surrounding communities of the forecast area yesterday. Communities on the western edge of the forecast area experienced greater impacts with smoke pooling in the drainages.  Smoke conditions will be similar today with NW winds and a stable lower atmosphere. Cooler temperatures will drive smoke into canyons and pooling will continue into the evenings. Today, the most significant smoke impacts will be to Lowman.  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		Some smoke pooling in the evening hours
Garden City	Good		Good		Moderate		Periods of hazy skies
Garden Valley  School & ICP/Helibase	Moderate		Moderate		USG		Conditions improve after inversion break
Idaho City	Moderate		Moderate		USG		Improving conditions during the afternoon
Ketchum	Moderate		Moderate		Moderate		Some smoke pooling in the evening hours
Meridian	Good		Good		Moderate		Periods of hazy skies
Nampa	Good		Good		Moderate		Periods of hazy skies
Lowman	data		USG		USG		No significant improvements throughout the day
Stanley	USG		Good		Good		Some smoke pooling in the evening hours
Sites without a monitor
Site		Today		Tomorrow		Comments for Today
Lucky Peak Rec. Area		USG		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