Smoke expected through weekend; 40 percent chance of showers on Monday night

Air quality Index put The Dalles in the hazardous range this morning, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020.

The National Weather Service has made the following forecast.

A westerly wind flow is developing which will transport smoke from the wildfires along and west of the Cascades back over eastern Oregon and Washington through at  least the weekend. Air Quality Advisories and alerts are in effect.

From AirNow.gov:

What is the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI)?

The U.S. AQI is EPA’s index for reporting air quality.

How does the AQI work?

Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality.

For each pollutant an AQI value of 100 generally corresponds to an ambient air concentration that equals the level of the short-term national ambient air quality standard for protection of public health. AQI values at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. When AQI values are above 100, air quality is unhealthy: at first for certain sensitive groups of people, then for everyone as AQI values get higher.

The AQI is divided into six categories. Each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. Each category also has a specific color. The color makes it easy for people to quickly determine whether air quality is reaching unhealthy levels in their communities.

 What is PM2.5?

PM2. 5 refers to particles or particulate matter - PM - that have diameter less than 2.5 micrometres (more than 100 times thinner than a human hair) and remain suspended for longer. These particles are formed as a result of burning fuel and chemical reactions that take place in the atmosphere.

Smoke and Weather Forecast for The Dalles

Today: Widespread smoke. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. West wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Tonight: Widespread smoke. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. West wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Saturday: Widespread haze. Widespread smoke. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Southwest wind 5 to 9 mph.
Saturday Night: Widespread haze. Areas of smoke. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. West wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
Sunday: Widespread haze. Areas of smoke. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Widespread haze. Areas of smoke. Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.
Monday: Widespread haze before 11am. Areas of smoke before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Tuesday A 50 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 74.
Tuesday Night: A chance of showers, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Wednesday A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 79.
Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Thursday: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 78.

Pictured: Smoke completely obscures the view of The Dalles from The Dalles Bridge at 10:00 AM on September 11th, 2020

Click in the center and hold to drag slider.

Pictured: View looking West down the Gorge and into Hood River.

Pictured Left: Visibility in the Columbia Gorge on September 4th, 2020

Pictured Right: Visibility in the Columbia Gorge on September 11th, 2020