Front Range Action Day for Particulates September 18, 2020

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has issued an ACTION DAY ALERT at 4PM on Thursday, September 17, 2020 for the Front Range Urban Corridor from Douglas County north to Larimer and Weld counties, including the Denver-Boulder area, Fort Collins and Greeley.

Smoke transported from both in-state and out-of-state wildfires will result in fine particulate concentrations reaching the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups to Unhealthy range on Friday. Fine particulate concentrations in the Unhealthy category will be most likely for locations in and near Ft. Collins, with fine particulate concentrations reaching the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category for the rest of the Front Range region. For health recommendations, please see the Front Range Air Quality Forecast below.

This Particulates Action Day Alert will remain in effect until at least 4 p.m. Friday, September 18, 2020.

For statewide conditions, forecasts and advisories, visit:
www.colorado.gov/airquality/colorado_summary.aspx

At 9AM (MST), Friday, 9/18/2020 the highest AQI value was 119 for Particulate less than 2.5 micrometers which indicates Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air quality. Increasing likelihood of respiratory symptoms in sensitive individuals, aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in people with cardiopulmonary disease and older adults. People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Regional Air Quality Council's Summer 2020 Ozone Action Day Alert Program has concluded. The winter High Pollution Advisory Program begins on November 1. Air Quality Action Days or advisories for ozone for other pollutants, however, will be issued as needed at any time during the year and reported on this web page.

The Air Pollution Control Division's Winter 2020/2021 High Pollution Advisory Program will begin November 1. Thank you for your interest in and support for efforts to improve air quality for the citizens of the Denver- metro area.

Front Range Air Quality Forecast & Colorado Smoke Outlook
FRONT RANGE AIR QUALITY FORECAST:
Friday, September 18, 2020, 7:30 AM MDT

Ozone concentrations are expected to be in the Good to Moderate range on Friday. For health recommendations, please refer to Fine Particulate Matter below.

Fine Particulate Matter concentrations are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups to Unhealthy range on Friday. Unhealthy concentrations of fine particulate matter are most likely for locations in and near Ft. Collins. In these areas, people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion; everyone else, especially children, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion on Friday. For all other parts of the Front Range, people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion on Friday.

Carbon Monoxide concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Friday.

Nitrogen Dioxide concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Friday.

Visibility on Friday is expected to be Poor to Extremely Poor.

COLORADO SMOKE OUTLOOK:
Friday, September 18, 2020, 8:00 AM MDT

Air Quality Health Advisory for Wildfire Smoke

Issued for large portions of central Colorado
Issued at 9:00 AM MDT, Friday, September 18, 2020

Issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Affected Area: Routt, Jackson, Grand, Eagle, Summit, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Pitkin, Lake, Park, Gunnison, and Chaffee counties. Locations include, but are not limited to Steamboat Springs, Clark, Walden, Coalmont, Rand, Hot Sulphur Springs, Eagle, Breckenridge, Central City, Georgetown, Aspen, Leadville, Fairplay, Gunnison, and Salida.

Advisory in Effect: 9:00 AM MDT, Friday, September 18, 2020 to 9:00 AM MDT, Saturday, September 19, 2020.

Public Health Recommendations: If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors. This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and the elderly. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill. If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.

Outlook: Moderate to heavy smoke has been observed Friday morning across central Colorado from a combination of the Middle Fork wildfire located approximately 10 miles north of Steamboat Springs, and out-of-state wildfires. Smoke concentrations will gradually decrease late Friday morning as atmospheric mixing increases, with the slowest improvement expected for valley locations. Transport winds at the Middle Fork wildfire Friday afternoon will be out of a westerly direction, sending smoke to locations east of the fire through Friday evening. By late Friday evening, smoke from the fire will drain to the west and southwest along the Mad Creek drainage through early Saturday morning. The heaviest smoke will likely be along Routt County Road 129 between Steamboat Springs and Clark. Additionally, an increase in smoke from out-of-state fires will be possible across the advisory area by early Saturday morning.

For all other parts of Colorado not included in the above advisories, periods of smoke from both in-state and out-of-state wildfires will continue to move through the state at least into the upcoming weekend. Therefore, we suggest that unusually sensitive people reduce prolonged or heavy exertion in all areas of Colorado not currently covered by one of the above advisories.

What if there is a wildfire or smoke in your area?
The focus of the Colorado Smoke Outlook is on large fires (e.g., greater than 100 acres in size). Nevertheless, smoke from smaller fires, prescribed fires, and/or smoke from new fires not yet known to CDPHE air quality meteorologists may cause locally heavy smoke. If there is smoke in your neighborhood, see the public health recommendations below.

Public health recommendations for areas affected by smoke:
If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors. This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and the elderly. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill. IF VISIBILITY IS LESS THAN 5 MILES IN SMOKE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, SMOKE HAS REACHED LEVELS THAT ARE UNHEALTHY.

WHAT IS AN ACTION DAY?: An Action Day for fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone or other pollutants indicates that either current air quality is unhealthy or conditions are expected to worsen later in the day or on the next day. Action Days for air pollutants generally indicate that air quality will be in either the Unhealthy or Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups categories according to the Air Quality Index. Action Days always convey overarching public health recommendations, and, according to season, trigger a variety of mandatory and voluntary pollution prevention measures. For example, during the summer open burning is prohibited when an Action Day for ozone and/or fine particulates is in effect. During the winter, residential burning restrictions are in effect when an Action Day for Visibility is in effect.

For a detailed description of both the AIR QUALITY INDEX and the VISIBILITY STANDARD INDEX please visit www.colorado.gov/airquality/brochure.aspx

COLORADO OPEN BURN FORECAST: For those with permits for open burning, that is the burning of waste materials or vegetation outside, check the following webpage to find out if open burning is allowed today. Keep in mind that open burning is prohibited when an Action Day is in effect:
www.colorado.gov/airquality/burn_forecast.aspx

FOR CURRENT FRONT RANGE ACTION DAYS/ADVISORIES:
www.colorado.gov/airquality/advisory.aspx

FOR CURRENT AIR QUALITY CONDITIONS STATEWIDE:
www.colorado.gov/airquality/air_quality.aspx

SOCIAL MEDIA:
www.facebook.com/cdphe.apcd
twitter.com/cdpheapcd

AIR QUALITY NOTIFICATIONS:
www.colorado.gov/airquality/request_alerts.aspx (CDPHE automated e-mail alerts)
www.enviroflash.info/signup.cfm (CDPHE forecasts via automated e-mails from the EPA)