Here in the Pacific Northwest, we know from smoke.
And I’m not talking the cannabis type.
Recent years have educated us about the quality and character of smoke from wildfires, but these past two weeks have been like a full-on mandatory in-your-face master-class from an extremely pissed-off Samuel L. Jackson.
For a fortnight, Seattle and Portland have had the worst air quality on the planet. Here in Seattle, we’ve had consistent Air Quality Index (AQI) ratings of 250 (Very Unhealthy) with spikes to 350 (Hazardous) and beyond. That’s bad—real bad—but our friends in Portland area have been suffering with 350-500, with off-the-charts spikes. This is pretty much like living with one of those campfires that insists on sending its smoke directly into your face. In addition, some friends have been forced to evacuate, with many more advised to prepare for such, and while everyone is home safe now, the AQI is still depressingly toxic.
Lockdown for COVID-19 was tough, but we could still open the windows, take a walk, have a socially-distanced beer on the deck with a neighbor. With smoke so thick that it brought visibility down to under a quarter-mile, windows were closed, towels were stuffed under doors, and trips to the mailbox brought on coughing fits. (The cat is quite displeased by all of this, and regularly gives us the stink-eye as she sits by the unopened window.)
Symptoms brought on by all of this smoke range from headaches, raspy throat, burning itchy eyes, nausea, listlessness, insomnia, and what we’ve been calling “the jitters,” where your hands shake and you’re a bit fumble-fisted. For those who’ve suffered more severe AQI or who may have cardiovascular or pulmonary issues, it can lead to hospitalization.
In short, it sucks.
On the plus side though—and believe me, I had to search to find one—I have expanded my knowledge about the characteristics of smoke. I’ve also invented new terms, a shorthand, if you will, to describe each day’s conditions vis-à-vis the dread pall of doom that hangs over us.
When the smoke first arrived, it wasn’t from here. It came from Oregon, where two massive fires have been consuming square miles of material. The smoke at that point was fine, dark, and gritty. It was acrid, tasted of apricot pits, turned the sky grey, felt almost sandy to the touch, and smelled of destruction.
Later, we got some smoke from our own fires (thank you, Eastern Washington). The smoke soared high, sped through the passes in the Cascades, and put us under a shroud that dimmed the sun to a jaundiced twilight. The sky was yellow with particulate, the fallout more fluffy and pale. The world smelled of ash and spent heat, and masks were needed outside, just to keep from hacking up a lung.
A few days ago, when the wind shifted, the smoke changed again, this time bringing humidity, a touch of the more friendly flavor of a campfire, and I distinctly smelled burning cedar wood, which made it somehow more personal, more tragic, as I could now envision the trees that were being consumed.
Throughout it all, though, there was a need for a quick way to describe how bad it was “out there,” and I settled on a trio of descriptive intensifiers. In order of increasing toxicity, they are:
- Smoky AH
- Smoky AS
- Smoky AF
You can decipher that, I’m sure. (If you have difficulty, just remember that the “A” stands for “as.”)
Today, it’s a bit better, with AQI under 150. And there is rain on the way. I just hope it’s a lot of rain and comes with no lightning.
To our neighbors to the south, stay strong.
To the firefighters, our sincerest thanks and hopes that you return home safe and sound.
k
We’re currently about 20 miles west of Boise and the haze is distinct, the air quality Unhealthy and no place to go to escape (or we would… living as we do in our RV). It’s everywhere! So glad you’re surviving through this latest “character-building” adventure. And many thanks for the AQ rating system — I’ve been hunting for one 🙂
LikeLike
Check out https://www.iqair.com/us/ for real-time conditions for any location in the US. And since our fires are not _out_, this respite we’re hoping for tomorrow means that someone else (you, Montana, points east) are going to get it instead. I already had a Michigan friend mention increased smoke.
Our AQI is usually under 30 (spikes to 50 on a bad day), but today, with an AQI nearer 100, it’s a very welcome change.
LikeLike
Thanks for the link! I’ve been using AirNow.gov — and, interestingly, the two sites show different readings. But none of it good 😦 I also check this one: https://fire.airnow.gov/# which shows the flow of smoke. Ikes!
Take care and stay healthy!
LikeLiked by 1 person