Canadian Wildfires and Air Quality

[casts_by_fly]

we're clearing up a bit today.  Outside has a hint of smoke in the air, but its clean enough that you can be out and not worry.  The sun is back to a normal color now.  We'll see if more blows down through the day with this wind, but tomorrow morning is looking like a day on the water.

[Jar11591]

Much clearer here today. Only a slight campfire smell in the air. Wasn’t coughing up a lung today while mowing either. But it’s supposed to get bad again with hardly any wind over the weekend so I’m taking the weekend off. Gonna do some fishing, but not mowing. 

[Kirtley Howe]

4 hours ago, Glenn said:

In 2018 and again in 2020, my neck of the woods got hit by the same thing.  Lung-choking smoke for months.  The smoke came from both Canada and California wildfires.

 

In August 2020, the AQI hit 500 - the highest they can measure.  It was above that, but they don't know by how much.

 

While it's bad for you guys, wait until it pegs the 500 mark.  Then you'll wish you had what you have now.

Because of all the hills around here, the air quality varies by huge amounts only a few miles (sometime only a few hundred feet!) apart. At my house, the air quality was pushing 430. One mile away it was 125...and in the other direction it was 250. Downtown (6 miles from my house) It was 175. Very weird.

[hokiehunter373]

52 minutes ago, Kirtley Howe said:

Because of all the hills around here, the air quality varies by huge amounts only a few miles (sometime only a few hundred feet!) apart. At my house, the air quality was pushing 430. One mile away it was 125...and in the other direction it was 250. Downtown (6 miles from my house) It was 175. Very weird.

Same here.

 

Breeze has helped a ton today.  350s this morning but down to 170 now.  Fishing plans back on for this evening

[JackstrawIII]

I live between Rochester and Syracuse and it’s been bad up here. Fished for an hour yesterday with my eyes watering, nose running, and a solid cough. Hoping it’s better tomorrow morning!!

[Bird]

12 minutes ago, JackstrawIII said:

I live between Rochester and Syracuse and it’s been bad up here. Fished for an hour yesterday with my eyes watering, nose running, and a solid cough. Hoping it’s better tomorrow morning!!

Wow ?

I certainly understand the draw us fisherman have to the water but not to the detrimental effects on our health.

Look for a better jet stream which is suppose to arrive tomorrow, so I hear.

[Darren.]

Was quite hazy here on the VA Peninsula yesterday and this

morning. There was some wind and rain (light) that came

thru this afternoon making things smell less like a campfire.

 

Tho, I do enjoy the smell of a campfire. I just hope our great

neighbors to the north can get these fires under control, eh?

They're calling for help, I've read, as their firefighters have 

reached their limits. Best of luck to them, and may some 

drenching rain come their way to quench the fires' thirst.

[Kirtley Howe]

15 minutes ago, JackstrawIII said:

I live between Rochester and Syracuse and it’s been bad up here. Fished for an hour yesterday with my eyes watering, nose running, and a solid cough. Hoping it’s better tomorrow morning!!

Yeah....I went out yesterday and hung up the bird feeders and cleaned up dog poop from the yard. That took about 15 min. By the time I got back into the house I had to sit down and try to catch my breath. Today, same activity, and no problem. The air is definitely better today. Right now it is raining (which we needed badly) and the air is very clear.

[JackstrawIII]

14 minutes ago, Kirtley Howe said:

Right now it is raining

Lucky. They keep forecasting rain, but it keeps messing us. 

[TriStateBassin106]

On 6/7/2023 at 3:14 PM, ike8120 said:

Got real bad on the Jersey shore, looks like dense fog.

 

I was in passiac county NJ yesterday and it looked like it was Mars. 2PM in the afternoon and the streetlights were on, spooky stuff man. 

11 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

we're clearing up a bit today.  Outside has a hint of smoke in the air, but its clean enough that you can be out and not worry.  The sun is back to a normal color now.  We'll see if more blows down through the day with this wind, but tomorrow morning is looking like a day on the water.

I went fishing this afternoon and got skunked. I don't know if the smoke had something to do with it but the fishing has been tough for the last week. I think it has something to do with that stubborn low pressure system that won't move out of here, (the one bringing the smoke down) I can't remember the last time it was above 80 degrees but I think it was last week sometime. 

[casts_by_fly]

12 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

I went fishing this afternoon and got skunked. I don't know if the smoke had something to do with it but the fishing has been tough for the last week. I think it has something to do with that stubborn low pressure system that won't move out of here, (the one bringing the smoke down) I can't remember the last time it was above 80 degrees but I think it was last week sometime. 

 

I just got home.  I did a morning session down this way and caught 3, plus had a few more bust and miss a buzzbait.  The lake was only 67 degrees and I still found some bass on beds (a solid ~4 lb female and ~2 lb male).  I'm sure the smoke isn't doing anything to them (though the lowered light might have helped some), but between the low temps, low pressure, and lack of rain the past month they are all a bit out of sorts right now I think.  They are where they normally are, they just aren't doing what they normally do.  Some rain this coming week and then some heat should sort them right out.

[J._Bricker]

Sorry to hear about how bad the smoke is back East, out here on the West Coast it was a summer event. Unfortunately there isn’t much that can be done when lightning is starting the fires other than try to contain it and minimize loss of life and property.  I’ll admit from a fishing perspective all the smoke and ash did create a favorable topwater bite due to the extended lowlight conditions. 

[clayton86]

Wednesday my boss sent us home early due to air quality and we were working outside. Work in Rochester I guess from what my boss said RPD was stopping people that were running trying to exercise telling them walk home and stay inside. 

[TnRiver46]

5 minutes ago, clayton86 said:

Wednesday my boss sent us home early due to air quality and we were working outside. Work in Rochester I guess from what my boss said RPD was stopping people that were running trying to exercise telling them walk home and stay inside. 

My boss decided we should climb a 40 foot ladder 

[clayton86]

22 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

My boss decided we should climb a 40 foot ladder 

This past week we took a break from installing security systems and cameras for customers and put a new deck on the bosses house. 

[gim]

Worst air quality we’ve seen yet this spring/summer here. It’s gotten worse through out the day too. They cancelled most outdoor youth sports and activities because it was so bad. The only positive is that it has kept temperatures down some. The US Forest Service has placed a fire ban in the boundary waters until further notice, and there is currently a 30 acre fire burning northeast of Ely.

 

Hot, dry, fires, and smoke filled air. Summer is starting to suck around here these days.

 

I think @ironbjorn was right. We are starting to combust ourselves.

[MN Fisher]

10 minutes ago, gimruis said:

It’s gotten worse through out the day too.

Earlier today the AQI was at 183 (Unhealthy) - my latest look at https://www.airnow.gov/ shows it at 261 (Very Unhealthy)

[TnRiver46]

All good down here, we are at capacity tho so y’all have to stay up there 

[gim]

15 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Earlier today the AQI was at 183 (Unhealthy) - my latest look at https://www.airnow.gov/ shows it at 261 (Very Unhealthy)

One of my neighbors has their windows open too. Nothing like trying to sleep in a smoke filled house that’s way too hot.

[TnRiver46]

16 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Earlier today the AQI was at 183 (Unhealthy) - my latest look at https://www.airnow.gov/ shows it at 261 (Very Unhealthy)

Just like torching a dart ? 

[Deephaven]

The cancelled my boys soccer games at 4pm when the AQI broke 200.  I can't remember ever seeing Minneapolis like this.  That must be some fire.

[TnRiver46]

Ultra smoky here today, we have the orange warning I think 

[hokiehunter373]

37 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Ultra smoky here today, we have the orange warning I think 

Same here but code red for us

[Jar11591]

Really smoky here today as well. Air has been clear the last week or 2 but the haze is back today. Doesn’t smell like a campfire yet but it’s supposed to get worse over the weekend. 

[T-Billy]

This was about 10am, not a cloud in the sky, sun overhead.