The map above shows the forecast for the distribution of near-surface smoke at 6 a.m. PDT September, 13, 2020.
It appears that severe impacts will occur in areas of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
(UPDATED smoke and air quality maps for September 13 can be found HERE)
Air quality from AirNow at 3 p.m. PDT September 12, 2020 is below. Most of Oregon, Washington, and northern California are in the categories of Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, or Hazardous. If you’re in those areas and are lucky enough to have an N95 mask, this is a good time to use it. Being indoors does not help much unless you are aggressively filtering the air with a HEPA category filter. (Information about how to reduce your exposure to smoke.)
Air quality at 3 p.m. PDT Sept. 12, 2020. AirNow.
Below is the air quality forecast for Sunday September 13, 2020.
Air Quality forecast for September 13, 2020. AirNow.
The photos below compare visibility in Eugene, Oregon on a clear day and today, September 12, 2020.
Visibility in Eugene, Oregon on a clear day.Visibility in Eugene, Oregon today, September 12, 2020.
Above is the forecast for the distribution of smoke from wildfires at 5 a.m. PDT, September 12, 2020.
The satellite photo below shows much of the smoke from the west coast fires being blown out over the Pacific, while some remains in Washington, Oregon, and California, and also is being transported to the east.
Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches September 5, 2020.
Hot, dry and in some cases windy weather will bring elevated wildfire danger to many of the western states through the Labor Day weekend.
Southern California
Extreme heat in southern California could set all-time high temperature records with the possibility of rolling power blackouts and more wildfires. Some of the inland cities could have temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal through Monday. The hottest days will be Saturday and Sunday, with slightly lower temperatures Monday. Riverside could see highs of 116 on Saturday and 118 on Sunday.
Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches in southern California, September 5, 2020.
Red Flag Warnings are in effect Saturday for portions of Riverside and San Diego Counties through Sunday at 6 p.m. Forecasters expect east winds of 15 to 20 mph with gusts of 25 to 35 mph, with single-digit humidities in the afternoons.
Weather forecast for Riverside, California, September 5, 2020.
A Fire Weather Watch for the Los Angeles, Ventura County, and Santa Barbara mountains for Monday evening through Tuesday evening will probably be turned into a Red Flag Warning for gusty sundowner winds from the north or northeast at 15 to 25 mph with local gusts up to 40 mph Saturday, increasing to 15 to 30 mph with local gusts up to 45 mph Sunday evening and Monday evening. The strongest winds will be in the western portions of the Santa Ynez mountains and Santa Barbara south coast.
The National Weather Service did not mince any words in describing the forecast:
The very hot and unstable conditions will bring a significant threat of large plume dominated fires across the region through Labor Day.
Northwestern United States
A strong high pressure ridge centered across the western Great Basin Saturday will bring continued hot and dry conditions through the afternoon and early evening, with temperatures in the 90s and humidities below 15 percent, contributing to potentially extreme fire behavior given the very dry fuel conditions. In central Idaho and western Montana winds are expected to exceed 20-25 mph for several hours Saturday afternoon.
Smoke
Near surface smoke at 11 p.m. PDT September 5, 2020.
These maps show the forecasts for the distribution of near surface smoke from wildfires. The map above is for Wednesday evening August 26, and the other is for Thursday morning August 27.
Smoke forecast 5 a.m. MDT Aug 27, 2020. RealEarth.
