Cliff Mass Weather Blog: Some of the Worst Air Quality in the World in Puget Sound: Blame it on Fireworks
Air quality over parts of the Puget Sound nation dropped rapidly to the worst in the world last night.
And you can’t blame the bushfires. It’s from fireworks.
The front page of the Puget Sound Air Quality Authority shows that the plot is similar for King County and other Puget Sound counties.
At 6:30 a.m. this morning, some areas south of the Sound had hazardous air quality (purple) and most areas were at unhealthy levels. A stark contrast to the good air quality the day before. And this is AFTER some overnight improvements.
To give some perspective, here’s the EPA’s air quality map this morning, after the air in Puget Sound improved slightly. Fireworks over Puget Sound and near LA provide the worst atmosphere in the nation.
Last night I was watching fireworks in Seattle and one could see a huge column of smoke rising. But this smoke has been overshadowed by the homegrown displays.
This morning, several flashes of light covered the area, largely due to individual fireworks (see Port of Seattle and Lake Union this morning). Yuk.
Some grain values this morning in the south Absolutely phenomenal sound. The PSCAA at the Tacoma South L station measured more than 700 micrograms per cubic meter for small particles (PM 2.5). Unbelievable.
This is the HIGHEST hourly dust level ever observed at this site. To illustrate, I drew a diagram five years ago.
Why was last night so bad?
First, judging from the bangs I heard last night, so many of those who have and are setting off fireworks. But equally important is favorable weather.
And this upper inversion/stabilization layer bent the radar beam at Langley Hill weather radar near Hoquiam, causing the beam to hit the water. As a result, radar showed a lot of bogus rainfall along the coast.
An evil illusion of mother nature.
