Air Quality Summary Report-Pioneer Fire, Monday August 22, 2016

Air Quality Summary-Pioneer Fire  Monday August 22, 2016
Air Resource Advisor: Tod Johnson (tod_johnson@nps.gov), ARA (T) Karen Dillman (kdillman@fs.fed.us

FIRE, WEATHER AND SMOKE SYNOPSIS Weather:  The existing cold front brings stronger wind and lower humidity to the fire area. Temperatures will be in the low 60’s and 70’s on the ridges, higher in the valleys. Relative humidity drops to the single digits from 5 to 15 percent. Winds will be W 15 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph. Areas where topography aligns with drainage winds may experience higher gusts. Payette River drainage may channel stronger winds. Inversion break expected around noon. Fire Weather Watch for winds and low humidity. Fire Activity: Today’s fire growth will continue north of Pioneerville and Highway 17 in Deadwood Canyon.  Steep terrain with the combination of upslope/up-canyon winds may result in uphill runs following inversion break this afternoon, as the fire comes into alignment with slope and gusty winds. Burnout operations will continue as conditions permit northeast of Pioneerville. Smoke Summary: Smoke conditions in the forecast communities were less impacted yesterday due to strong winds. With the passing cold front and wind shift, fires became more active and increased smoke was transported to the east side of the fire and beyond. Today, most smoke impacts will be local, primarily in Lowman although lofting and wind driven smoke will impact Stanley and valley communities to the east of Stanley.  Later this evening, Ketchum and Fairfield will see more smoke as wind shifts to NW. Smoke from the Cherry Road fire burning near Lake Owyhee may impact the Treasure Valley throughout the day.
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		Smoke Notes for today’s forecast
Centerville	Moderate		Good		Good		Hazy conditions in the afternoon
Fairfield	Good		Good		Good		Good conditions today, changing to Moderate conditions late evening
Garden City	Moderate		Good		Good		Hazy conditions in the afternoon.
Garden Valley  School & ICP/Helibase	Moderate		Good		Good		Good throughout the day
Idaho City	Moderate		Good		Good		Hazy conditions in the afternoon
Ketchum	Good		Moderate		Moderate		Good in a.m. change to Moderate in afternoon and evening
Meridian	Good		Good		Good		Hazy conditions in the afternoon.
Nampa	Moderate		Good		Good		Hazy conditions in the afternoon.
Lowman	Moderate		USG		Moderate		Some improvement in the late afternoon.
Stanley	Unhealthy		Moderate		Moderate		Moderate through the day, some periods reaching USG in the late afternoon before improving in the evening
Sites without a monitor
Site		Today		Tomorrow		Smoke Notes
Lucky Peak Rec. Area		Moderate		Moderate		Good in the morning becoming moderate in the afternoon.
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