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We've been having fires all over in Washington State. Most of the state has unhealthy air at the moment. A couple of days ago, you could see nothing of Seattle from the Space Needle. Now it's reasonably clear.
However, I live on the other side of the state in Spokane. We are in a valley, and have no wind at the moment, and none is expected tomorrow either.
Schools are closed, and many businesses are as well.
About a week ago, a town south of us was 80% destroyed. What a mess, on top of COVID.
https://enviwa.ecology.wa.gov/home/text/421#Forecast
We are the only city in Washington where the air quality is considered hazardous.
Comments
Terrible thing for such a beautiful area
While I've never spent a lot of time in Spokane, I have flown into there several times to visit family that used to live in the Moses Lake region. I always enjoyed the scenery, long needle pines and beautiful forests on the drive out of Spokane.
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Forest Management
EOM
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Federal land
"More than 1.1 million acres have burned on federal lands in California this year, compared to 769,032 acres on non-federally managed lands, according to figures collected by the National Interagency Fire Center.
"In California, Washington and Oregon combined, about 1.9 million acres have burned on federally-managed land compared to just over 1 million acres on non-federal land, according to NIFC."
https://www.redding.com/story/news/2020/09/14/president-trum...
In Washington and Idaho, we
In Washington and Idaho, we have fewer fires where LP, Weyerhauser, and the like are able to log.
Hugs!
Rosemary
I agree. It's a yearly thing
I agree. It's a yearly thing in Eastern Washington, but we don't have entire towns destroyed, normally. It doesn't usually attack much of the forests either. Generally, it burns off the fields in central Washington, and we get inundated by smoke.
Awhile back, when I was driving Uber, I picked up some people at the airport. He had lived in Spokane years ago but lived in Texas now, and was showing his old stomping grounds to his wife. It was this time of year, and we had smoke in our valley. Our airport is out of the valley, so you drop into Spokane, from there.
All of Spokane was laid out before us, the buildings rising out of a sea of smoke, as we dropped off of what is known as Sunset Hill. I asked the guy how long it had been since he had last been in Spokane. He told me about ten years.
I was almost blinded by the devlish gleam in my eye reflected from the rearview mirror, as I told him, "Well, not much has changed, except we allow marijuana now, and you can see the result."
He lost it.
Hugs!
Rosemary
Same here
I live in a small town in the foot hills of the coast range about and hours drive from Portland Oregon. Two weeks ago it was high level smoke causing the sun light to be filter to orange. The East wind blew it all out to sea. Now that the East wind has quit, there's on shore air flow and marine air is slowly replacing the dry air and bringing the smoke back, this time at low levels. Having been cooled, it is settling in the valleys. It hangs in the air like fog and has visibility down to about a mile, sometimes less, making driving a bit hazardous. Air quality for the entire area is in the unhealthy range.
I was out and about on Sunday and came home with a scratch throat and some minor upper respiratory congestion. I can't imagine how anyone with respiratory problems could go anywhere. We were due some light rain starting today, but now it looks like it will be postponed until Friday. I'm hoping it will be enough to settle the smoke and let us all breathe easy again.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
We still have the orange cast
We still have the orange cast a little bit. In a way, I think it's kind of pretty because the colors seem more... well, colorful, but at the same time, I know what causes it, so it's not too good. I keep looking outside and think we're going to get rain, so think I don't need to water my flowers (roses and lilys) and then realized that's not the case.
Thankfully, we the smoke seems to have settled a bit, and there are shadows being cast today, so hopefully it clears up. I'm seeing my willows and maple tree moving a bit. Hopefully it's enough of a breeze to clear the air. It seems to have over night, that's for sure!
I've been waking up with headaches for the last few days. This morning I have a low level one that I only notice if I think about it.
Hugs!
Rosemary
Downtown Portland, Or
I was going to sneak out and ride the streetcar up to get a new blood glucose meter. One look outside changed my mind. I can see less than one block. Cancelled plans. I'm COPD. It sounds like things will improve in a couple days.
Bless you all.
Gwen
Ouch!
I have to use a CPAP machine. With the headaches I've been getting each morning with the thing, I'd hate to see what it was like without it.
I can imagine COPD.
Hugs!
Rosemary
We had smoke in the city
We had smoke in Vilnius for almost three months in 2002. We had a peatery fire near the city. It could be extinguished only from air and there was no such equipment. It ended with autumn heavy rains.
Not fun. I can imagine that
Not fun. I can imagine that would smoke a lot!
Hugs!
Rosemary