Pioneer Air Quality Summary Report for August 14

Air Quality Summary Report  -  Pioneer Fire             For: Sunday, August 14, 2016 

Air Resource Advisors: Andrea Holland (andreahollandsears@gmail.com ) & Duncan Leao (dleao@fs.fed.us)

FIRE, WEATHER AND SMOKE SYNOPSIS Weather:  Temperatures and humidities will remain the same today as compared to yesterday.  Atmospheric conditions will be unstable and a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms exist. Additionally, winds will be coming upslope/up-canyon and prevailing from the SW at 8-12 mph in the afternoon.  There will be chance of strong outflow gusts up to 25 mph if thunderstorms form. Fire Activity:   Today’s fire behavior is expected to be active based on the forecasted weather and drying fuels.  Steep terrain with the combination of upslope/up-canyon winds will create conditions for group torching and spotting leading to increased spread.

Smoke Summary: Smoke from the Pioneer and adjacent fires is likely to linger around the region and valley areas until afternoon winds transport it out of the area. The potential for increased fire activity may lead to higher amounts of smoke persisting for the next few days, heaviest in the vicinity of Lowman, Garden Valley, and Stanley.

Air Quality Outlook (smoke related)

Sites with air quality monitors  (based on Air Quality Index for each 24-hr day)
Site	Yesterday		Today		Tomorrow		Smoke Notes
Fairfield	Good		Good		Good		Conditions approaching Moderate late morning.
Garden City	Moderate		Moderate		Good		Light haze from fires in the region. Moderate to USG in a.m.
Garden Valley	Moderate		USG		Moderate		May see Unhealthy as smoke settles in the river valley throughout the morning hours into early afternoon.
Idaho City	Moderate		Moderate		Good		May see USG late in the morning clearing with inversion.
Ketchum	Moderate		Good		Good		Light haze from fires in the region.
Meridian	Good		Good		Good		Light haze from fires in the region.  Moderate in morning.
Nampa	Moderate		Good		Good		Light haze from fires in the region.  Moderate in morning.
Lowman	Moderate		USG		USG		USG to Unhealthy through morning, some clearing after noon.
Stanley	Moderate		USG		USG		May see Unhealthy as smoke drifts in the afternoon/evening
Sites without a monitor
Site		Today		Tomorrow		Smoke Notes
Lucky Peak Rec. Area		Moderate		Good		Moderate throughout the morning hours.
Garden Valley ICP/Helibase		USG		Moderate		Unhealthy early morning as smoke stagnates in valley clearing somewhat after noon.
Disclaimer: Conditions may change quickly. These predictions are based on anticipated weather and fire activity.

USG – Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

Other Websites with Smoke Related Information

For areas without a monitor use the Visibility method to help protect your health from Smoke: https://nmtracking.org

Information about Wildfire Smoke and Your Health: http://www.cdc.gov/features/wildfires/

Real time monitoring data – circles and triangles correspond to color-coded Air Quality Index: http://smoke.airfire.org/monitoringReport/#/?date=LATEST&productType=plotTable