Terrible smoke in Yosemite valley from Ferguson fire!

[Drew Wiley]

Last I heard, there were at least 500 men on the Donnell Fire plus air support, mostly trying to protect structures across the hwy, incl Kennedy Mdws. But the fire has taken quite a chunk of Carson-Iceberg, being mostly mid-elevation, around 7,000ft. Emigrant hasn't been directly affected, though there have been a couple of giant fires in recent years to the west of it along Kibbie Ridge - still allegedly a miserable shortcut to upper Cherry Creek due to all the downfall and powdery ash. The whole area is susceptible to smoke, esp this summer.

[faberryman]

I just got an email from Yosemite Travel that the park is re-opening tomorrow, 8/14, and acomodations are available.

[Tin Can]

The morning news said California fire smoke was making haze east of the Mississippi.

I smell smoke and my lungs are feeling it.

[Drew Wiley]

There are two main sites for current info. Incinweb gives active fire maps and related details. But the EPA has smoke forecasts based upon specific air quality district and predicted wind direction. I don't know to what extent Yosemite can be considered "open" if you can't see much and a fine-particulate face mask is distinctly recommended! Conditions on the east side of the range largely depend on whether the wind is circulating clockwise or counterclockwise, since tropic storms off Baja factor in this time of year. So smoke could either be pulled away toward the north of these big fires or sucked down into Mono Basin and even Owens Valley. Usually there are higher canyons that will be free. But when traveling in the area, always have a Plan B, Plan C, etc. I'd put Yosemite at the moment on the Plan Z list.

[John Kasaian]

I still can't get into the valley on 41, not that I'd want to, but I have work in Tuolumne Meadows that's supposed (supposed) to start in September and if I can transit the valley in the middle of the night, that'll help cut the commute time.

[Bob Salomon]

The morning news said California fire smoke was making haze east of the Mississippi.

I smell smoke and my lungs are feeling it.

West coast smog could also be seen in the East!

[BradS]

West coast smog could also be seen in the East!

Smoke, not smog. There is a difference.

[Bob Salomon]

Smoke, not smog. There is a difference.

No, traditionally we could see smog east of the Mississippi!

[Drew Wiley]

There are fires burning all over the West, hundreds of em, so hard to tell which smoke comes from where. But it's really a northern hemisphere thing, with some fires in Eastern forests too, and terrible ones in Europe as far north as Scandanavia. In ordinary conditions, Yosemite Valley typically suffers from both smog and smoke in the summer. Smog from the Central Valley tends to get as high as 6,000 ft in general during summer months. This is mixed with a pollen haze which normally gets up to around 8,000 ft in west side canyons. Then, unfortunately, everybody thinks they need a campfire in 90 degree heat just because they're camped in a Natl Park. Add to that a few control burns in the area, and you've got smokey smog. But pine pitch generates a lot of smoggy hydrocarbons when burning, and our terrible suburban fires generate a lot of toxic ingredients from burning plastics etc. All of this becomes a rather complex stew, depending on how wind conditions mix everything. Then you've got good ole Bakersfield, the Armpit of the West, where the oil industry smog is yellow-green rather than brown, reminiscent of the atmosphere of the planet Venus and even less inhabitable, at least by intelligent life. Some of
that gets as high as the giant redwood groves in Sequoia NP and NM, and is a major source of tree stress.

[tgtaylor]

Yosemite air quality has vastly improved and is now down in the "moderate" category for 24 hour period.

Thomas