I have gotten several messages about yesterday's localized smoke event, so let me answer them here.
First, the smoke concentration in some locations north of Seattle was the greatest in many years.
For example, at Lake Forecast Park, values surged to over 300 micrograms per cubic meter for a short period at the surface (see plot below).
This is extraordinarily unhealthy air. Fortunately, particulate levels subsequently declined rapidly in the evening as the plume of smoke moved northward.
Several people asked: Why were the smoke levels lower to the southeast--closer to the fire? This is illustrated by the particle concentration map below near the height of the episode. Red and purple are high values.
Air quality was much better in the mountains than in the lowlands!
To see what happened, let's examine how the smoke evolved aloft, using the laser ceilometer run by Puget Sound Clean Air Agency on Beacon Hill of south Seattle (below). Time is on the x-axis and height in meters on the Y-axis. Keep in mind that 3000 meters is roughly 10,000 ft. Red and yellow indicate either clouds or relatively dense smoke.
There were some low-level clouds between 6 and 9 AM (red color), which dissipated by around 10 AM. But then smoke started coming in aloft around 11 AM (at about 800 meters above the surface).
The smoke mixed down to the surface around 5-6 PM and started to lift later in the evening. This led to the rapid and profound air quality degradation.
This morning, air quality was significantly improved over western Washington, but poor air quality still persists east of the Cascades.
As I will discuss in my next blog, we have made the transition to a fall-like pattern and regional temperatures should be MUCH cooler during the next few weeks. Wildfires should decline.
Still going with not a bad fire year?
ReplyDeleteWashington State fire area is still way below normal.
DeleteI'm going with it not being so, based on the anecdotes I know personally.
DeleteMr. Haworth,
DeleteIf you're willing to share them, I'd be curious to know what anecdotes you have that are making you go with it not being so. This fire season, at least so far, has felt very subdued to me, even with how it started earlier than normal for the Leavenworth area and the ongoing Bear Gulch Fire in the Olympics, which many in our region just don't think of when they think of wildfires.
https://app.watchduty.org/
DeleteI think Wawoth's comment was satirical. It has obviously been a very low fire year in the state (so far).
DeleteLake Forecast Park is America's first planned community for meteorologists. Custom-built homes include barometric pressure gauges, anemometers and weather machines that allow residents to create rain, snow and tornadoes inside their homes. Call a Realtor today for a tour!
ReplyDeleteWould the rain, snow, and tornadoes merely be able to simulated in a simulator installed in these homes or would it be able to actually rain, snow, and storm inside of them? And would these weather events stay confined to the home that they are initiated in?
DeleteI know you're just being sarcastic, and I like your sense of humor. But it is a creative idea that someone might just try and act upon someday. If we can bring back Wooly Mammoths, why not have homes that can have their own unique weather?
Where is "Lake Forecast Park" (4th line from top) :)
ReplyDeleteLake forest Park, I presume.
DeleteDefinitely a low fire year, I recall a few years ago, where they are quality was absolutely fetid and hell for weeks on end. Someone’s politically biased and trying to leverage that otherwise
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the same people that confuse weather with climate.
DeleteI have severe asthma triggered by particulates so I have been closing watching AQI on both the government's websites and the purple air maps. I know which sensor in Lake Forest Park you refer to. As far as I could tell there's nothing unique about that site for trapping particulates. Oddly, all of the sensors close by had significantly lower readings and fluctuated more over a period of several days. It's implausible that smoke generated from a fire far away selectively downdrafted to this specific sensor, didn't spread or move. Perhaps this sensor was malfunctioning?
ReplyDeleteseveral nearby sensors agreed with it. This is real.
DeleteWhat happened to all the rain we were supposed to get?? Those models seem to be no better than 50-50 this summer.
ReplyDeleteI think the thing that was most remarkable about this event is how quickly it came on, how bad the quality was, and then how quickly it passed. By Sat AM the cleansing clouds were back!!
ReplyDeleteI pretty well escaped the smoke as I sailed from Everett to Port Townsend. But it is time for some sustained rain- not the small-time drizzle we've been seeing.
ReplyDeleteThyme to bring galloping gertie (my old rv) out of storage if that’s what your calling for.
DeleteI find that the first predicted rains of fall usually fall short of expectations. Anyone care to comment?
ReplyDeleteNowadays we have to check the weather way in advance to prevent any disaster, I found this webpage that can provide 30-Day Weather Forecast https://timeandcalendars.com/weather-forecast-30-days hope it help somebody
ReplyDelete