Given the significant influence of smoke from the wildfires in British Columbia on air quality in Oregon this past 10 days, I want to make you aware of a tool created by the Canadian Government to aid in air quality forecasting. FireWork is an air quality prediction system that indicates how smoke from wildfires is expected to move across North America over the next 48 hours. Model forecasts of PM2.5 concentrations are issued twice a day (morning and evening) for both a 24-hour and 48-hour forecast, by the hour, or daily maximum hourly impacts.
The image below is the daily maximum hourly impact for today, Wednesday August 9, 2017. Looking at Oregon, higher impacts ranging from 40-80 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) of PM2.5 concentrations are predicted to occur in the Willamette Valley and 20 - 40 ug/m3 in over most of the state. This will lead to hazy conditions except in the most south central portions of the state. This tool is helpful, especially when combined with impacts from fires within the state to get a sense of how much smoke may impact a given area. To access this tool and learn more about this product, go Canada's Wildfire Smoke Prediction System - FireWork website at https://www.weather.gc.ca/firework/index_e.html. A link to this site has been placed at the top of the "hot links" on the left side of this smoke blog.
The image below is the daily maximum hourly impact for today, Wednesday August 9, 2017. Looking at Oregon, higher impacts ranging from 40-80 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) of PM2.5 concentrations are predicted to occur in the Willamette Valley and 20 - 40 ug/m3 in over most of the state. This will lead to hazy conditions except in the most south central portions of the state. This tool is helpful, especially when combined with impacts from fires within the state to get a sense of how much smoke may impact a given area. To access this tool and learn more about this product, go Canada's Wildfire Smoke Prediction System - FireWork website at https://www.weather.gc.ca/firework/index_e.html. A link to this site has been placed at the top of the "hot links" on the left side of this smoke blog.
