For anyone who's reading this not in Oregon, I can't even describe how horrific the feeling is breathing in air that's been described as hazardous. For now, in Lincoln County, we have been fortunate enough to have cleaner air for at least a few days with the Echo Mountain Complex Fire dying down. Less than 24 hours ago, all level 2 evacuation levels have been removed near the Echo Mountain Complex Fire.
Lane County, southern Oregon, and the Portland area have all saw slight improvements with recent rainfall setting in. Lane County's air quality is continuing to improve Saturday with "moderate" air quality in Eugene-Springfield.
Hopefully you can breath a little easier this evng. The threat of thunderstorms has passed for nw OR & sw WA, but not without putting a damper on the fires while also helping to clear the air. Scattered showers continue into Sat.
24 hr rainfall totalshttps://t.co/QlTpWzaHNE pic.twitter.com/BmD9Yc2wV1
— NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) September 19, 2020
The Register Guard reports two inches of rain fell in Eugene on Thursday and Friday, which has significantly helped to clear out much of the wildlife smoke hanging over the valley since Labor Day. According to the National Weather Service in Portland, Friday's 1.14 inches of rain also set a record for most precipitation recorded on Sept. 18.
Today we are expected to see a 50% chance of showers and patchy fog in Eugene, with a high of 71 and a low of 52. It's important to note even with air quality improvement, Lane County still has an air quality alert remaining in effect until 6 p.m. Reducing any physical activity and staying indoors as much as possible is highly recommended.
Smoke forecast for Saturday at 5:30 pm shows intense smoke blowing east near Madras and bad smoke near Bend. The model is picking up on west breezes and new smoke from the fires being pushed over Central Oregon. pic.twitter.com/3PIJGN88FR
— Rod Hill (@KGWRodHill) September 18, 2020
When the smoke levels have dropped to moderate and good categories, officials with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality advise opening windows to begin clearing out their indoor air.
Make sure to check out this map to look at the current air quality index values across the area.
