Pioneer Fire Air Quality Summary Report for August 16

Air Quality Summary Report  -  Pioneer Fire  For: Tuesday, August 16, 2016 

Air Resource Advisor: Tod Johnson (tod_johnson@nps.gov)

FIRE, WEATHER AND SMOKE SYNOPSIS Weather:  Temperatures and humidity will be similar to yesterday.  A strong surface inversion will break after 1200 today and atmospheric conditions will become more unstable with a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Additionally, winds will be upslope/up-canyon switching to N-NW along ridge tops at 5-10 mph in the afternoon. Fire Activity:   Today’s fire behavior should remain relatively inactive this morning due to the strong inversion.  Steep terrain with the combination of upslope/up-canyon winds will create conditions for group torching and spotting leading to increased spread following inversion break. Burn out operations along the perimeter will combine with continued interior burning for similar smoke conditions to yesterday.

Smoke Summary: Smoke from the Pioneer and adjacent fire’s 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 and burnout may lead to higher amounts of smoke persisting for the next few days, heaviest in the vicinity of Lowman, Garden Valley, and Idaho City.

Sites with air quality monitors  (based on Air Quality Index for each 24-hr day)
Site	Yesterday		Today		Tomorrow		Smoke Notes
Fairfield	Moderate		Moderate		Moderate		Conditions approaching Moderate late morning.
Garden City	Moderate		Moderate		Good		Moderate in a.m. due to settling smoke.
Garden Valley	Moderate		USG		Moderate		May see USG as smoke settles in the river valley throughout the morning hours into early afternoon.
Idaho City	Moderate		USG		USG		USG throughout the morning hours.
Ketchum	Moderate		Good		USG		Moderate in the morning and clearing in the afternoon.
Meridian	Moderate		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	USG		USG		USG		USG to Unhealthy through morning, some clearing after noon.
Stanley	Moderate		Moderate		Moderate		Moderate in the morning and clearing in the afternoon.
Sites without a monitor
Site		Today		Tomorrow		Smoke Notes
Lucky Peak Rec. Area		USG		USG		USG to Unhealthy throughout the morning hours.
Garden Valley ICP/Helibase		USG		USG		Unhealthy early morning as smoke stagnates in valley.
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