So far this has been an exceptionally smoke-free summer across the entire West Coast, and to appreciate our clean air bounty, compare satellite imagery between this afternoon and a year ago. .
MODIS visible satellite images yesterday showed smoke-free skies over nearly the entire western US, with two exceptions: a very small fire west of Lake Chelan and a modest area of smoke north of CA. It’s about it!
Compare that to the miasma of exactly a year ago. It’s disgusting! Smoke is everywhere!
Air quality data provided by the EPA in their AIR NOW network tells the story on the ground. This year, nearly all sensors indicate good (green) air quality. You can comfortably breathe almost the entire West.
But on the same day last year, a lot of yellow and red (poor air quality), especially in eastern Washington and northern California.
What’s particularly interesting about the current wildfire/smoke situation is that California has been very dry and warmer than usual during the past six months. However, the fire situation is relatively benign. It proves that wildfire and smoke are complex features and you have to consider more than temperature and humidity to explain everything.
Finally, with time expectations, here is the NOAA HRRR model smoke forecast at 5pm today. This shows the total amount of smoke in a vertical column.. the amount of smoke on the surface will be much less.
Not too bad for this time of year!
