Pacific Northwest Fires Smother Region in Smoke and Ash

[bigheadfred]

Dozens of wildfires that have been raging across the Pacific Northwest flared up this week, unfurling a blanket of opaque smoke from the Cascades to the coast and raining ash down on cars, streets and people.

The blazes have forced evacuations and prompted the governor of Washington to declare a state of emergency; the skies have turned a disorienting color of brownish-orange, and the air smells of burned wood.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/06/us/wildfires-oregon-washington.html?mcubz=3

Smoke is worse here than a couple of days ago.

My daughter says it is raining ash up in Portland, Ore.

[txradioguy]

Air condition red here in Idaho for the for the last two days. Reminds me of good air quality days in Baghdad.

[bigheadfred]

Air condition red here in Idaho for the for the last two days. Reminds me of good air quality days in Baghdad.

I have had a similar experience in Cairo. Get out ob the desert and look back at the city shrouded in brown guck. Kinda didn't want to go back to it.

[NavyCanDo]

We live about 50 miles NW of the Norse Peak fire, and ash was falling on us and all of western WA all day yesterday. And the whole sky is blanketed in a pinkish cloud of smokey haze. Wind shifts tonight so it it supposed to blow all of this easterly over night.

[Wingnut]

Air condition red here in Idaho for the for the last two days. Reminds me of good air quality days in Baghdad.

Ah the Good Old Days!   

[bigheadfred]

Where is the smoke coming from? Map shows 74+ wildfires burning in western states

http://www.khq.com/story/36285551/where-is-the-smoke-coming-from-map-shows-74-wildfires-burning-in-western-states

[bigheadfred]

We live about 50 miles NW of the Norse Peak fire, and ash was falling on us and all of western WA all day yesterday. And the whole sky is blanketed in a pinkish cloud of smokey haze. Wind shifts tonight so it it supposed to blow all of this easterly over night.

No ash here. We have way more smoke now than when the fire by Pocatello was burning. It was around 50,000 acres.

[Free Vulcan]

Our skies here in Iowa were heavily cloudy all day Monday because of the smoke being carried by the wind from out west.

[bigheadfred]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ7JTxYNWt4

[NavyCanDo]

Where is the smoke coming from? Map shows 74+ wildfires burning in western states

http://www.khq.com/story/36285551/where-is-the-smoke-coming-from-map-shows-74-wildfires-burning-in-western-states

3 major fires in the WA Cascades, and more in Montana. The easterly winds are blowing all the smoke west of the mountains. The winds are expected to shift to on shore as a low approaches, but until then we have smokey skys and whats really strange is a red sun you can see  through the smoke, no special glasses required.

[bigheadfred]

3 major fires in the WA Cascades, and more in Montana. The easterly winds are blowing all the smoke west of the mountains. The winds are expected to shift to on shore as a low approaches, but until then we have smokey skys and whats really strange is a red sun you can see  through the smoke, no special glasses required.

Right. The red sun. I took this pic a couple of mornings ago. The camera brightened it quite a bit. You could look at the sun without harm. The color of the sky is pretty accurate. Smoky.

[austingirl]

Fires are frightening. Prayers that relief is coming for y'all.

[Wingnut]

So is the fire some 15 year old punks started with bottle rockets thinking it would be funny?

[IsailedawayfromFR]

So is the fire some 15 year old punks started with bottle rockets thinking it would be funny?

No, they believe it is due to multiple lightening strikes.

I am currently 10 miles east of Seattle as I came up for the birth of my grand-daughter.  Been here since Monday, and the weather is putrid, with smoke and ash all over the place.  The falling ash is so bad it is collecting on cars.  A bad place to raise a new baby, is what I told my daughter.
She needs a fighting chance to survive by living in Texas.

Yeah, Texas has hurricanes, but you can run away from them and they do not last that long.  This ash is being breathed and lasts awhile I can tell, and is much more widespread than a hurricane.

[bigheadfred]

No, they believe it is due to multiple lightening strikes.

I am currently 10 miles east of Seattle as I came up for the birth of my grand-daughter.  Been here since Monday, and the weather is putrid, with smoke and ash all over the place.  The falling ash is so bad it is collecting on cars.  A bad place to raise a new baby, is what I told my daughter.
She needs a fighting chance to survive by living in Texas.

Yeah, Texas has hurricanes, but you can run away from them and they do not last that long.  This ash is being breathed and lasts awhile I can tell, and is much more widespread than a hurricane.

They are probably having a drought. Normally that area is pretty wet and it stays pretty wet.

Don't they have fires in Texas? Or are the parts that aren't paved barren wasteland?

[Wingnut]

No, they believe it is due to multiple lightening strikes.

I am currently 10 miles east of Seattle as I came up for the birth of my grand-daughter.  Been here since Monday, and the weather is putrid, with smoke and ash all over the place.  The falling ash is so bad it is collecting on cars.  A bad place to raise a new baby, is what I told my daughter.
She needs a fighting chance to survive by living in Texas.

Yeah, Texas has hurricanes, but you can run away from them and they do not last that long.  This ash is being breathed and lasts awhile I can tell, and is much more widespread than a hurricane.

All the best to your baby girls baby, Grand Dad!!  I'll save my snark for the situation in NE for another day....   

[IsailedawayfromFR]

They are probably having a drought. Normally that area is pretty wet and it stays pretty wet.

Don't they have fires in Texas? Or are the parts that aren't paved barren wasteland?

Yes, you are correct, they are having a bad drought. 

Driving around the area, it seems browner than DFW where I flew out of.  Dallas is having a very wet year, I might add.

The big difference here and in Texas is that the idiots up here shy away from targeted burning of underbrush that can mitigate the fire spreading.  Same thing is happening in California, as the largest fire in Southern CA history is outside of LA.

The wackos feel it is more important to protect the creatures of the forest than to keep homes from burning and lives lost.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

All the best to your baby girls baby, Grand Dad!!  I'll save my snark for the situation in NE for another day....   

Thanks.  My daughter was nice enough to ensure we made it up here in time with her 24 hour labor performed on Labor Day.

[bigheadfred]

I think the fire at  Multnomah Falls was started by fireworks, @IsailedawayfromFR.

I told @CatherineofAragon earlier this year that Idaho would burn this fall. It hasn't been too bad so far. We are having a bit of weather today. The kind that starts fires from the lightning. Experienced some 2" rain today.

For those who don't know, a 2 inch rain in Idaho means when it is over the rain drops are two inches apart.

[Wingnut]

Thanks.  My daughter was nice enough to ensure we made it up here in time with her 24 hour labor performed on Labor Day.

LOL.   That says a lot for Labor in Washington state!   Damn... I said I was going to be snarkless for you!

[bigheadfred]

Yes, you are correct, they are having a bad drought. 

Driving around the area, it seems browner than DFW where I flew out of.  Dallas is having a very wet year, I might add.

The big difference here and in Texas is that the idiots up here shy away from targeted burning of underbrush that can mitigate the fire spreading.  Same thing is happening in California, as the largest fire in Southern CA history is outside of LA.

The wackos feel it is more important to protect the creatures of the forest than to keep homes from burning and lives lost.

They are doing some controlled burning down where my mom is at. The damn fools are burning conifer stands to supposedly encourage more quaking aspen growth for better deer habitat. Aspens need way more water and there isn't that water there. Otherwise, those trees would already be growing there. None of the locals are happy about the situation.

[roamer_1]

See that little clean spot in NW Montana?
That's the Flathead Valley where I live.
We're so boned. All that's left is to wait for rain, because that's all that will make the smoke leave now.

[montanajoe]

No, they believe it is due to multiple lightening strikes.

I am currently 10 miles east of Seattle as I came up for the birth of my grand-daughter.  Been here since Monday, and the weather is putrid, with smoke and ash all over the place.  The falling ash is so bad it is collecting on cars.  A bad place to raise a new baby, is what I told my daughter.
She needs a fighting chance to survive by living in Texas.

Yeah, Texas has hurricanes, but you can run away from them and they do not last that long.  This ash is being breathed and lasts awhile I can tell, and is much more widespread than a hurricane.

This is the worst I can remember since 1988 when Yellowstone burned down.

Got some ash but nothing like 1980 when St, Helens erupted.

Most if not all of the fires have been lightning caused...

I know guys who have majored in "Forestry Science" for the last 40 years and went to work for the government.. seems they have been successful at creating more jobs each year at fighting the fires. Not so much with the pine beetles...

Its curious how the Federal Government has been more than willing to attack the individual while watching the rest of the place burn

[bigheadfred]

See that little clean spot in NW Montana?
That's the Flathead Valley where I live.
We're so boned. All that's left is to wait for rain, because that's all that will make the smoke leave now.

The wife told me they were saying here to expect smoke until the snow hits. But the little front moving through today really cleared things up. I can see the east hills.

[bigheadfred]

This is the worst I can remember since 1988 when Yellowstone burned down.

Got some ash but nothing like 1980 when St, Helens erupted.

Most if not all of the fires have been lightning caused...

I know guys who have majored in "Forestry Science" for the last 40 years and went to work for the government.. seems they have been successful at creating more jobs each year at fighting the fires. Not so much with the pine beetles...

Its curious how the Federal Government has been more than willing to attack the individual while watching the rest of the place burn

The beetle kill over Galena Summit is terrible. It makes me a bit angry.