Wildfire smoke dodging: Where are you going?

[c9h13no3]

Seems like a good time to bump this thread. Here's the websites I've been using to plan trips this year.

1) Windy.com makes air quality forecasts 72 hours in advance, which is about as far in advance as anyone will make those predictions. Windy is also a good one-stop-shop, because you can hit the little "webcam" button on the site (like this one), and get a good idea of scenery conditions.

2) fire.airnow.gov is a combination of data from PurpleAir, fires reported by Inciweb, and a few other things like smoke plumes. This is probably the best source for knowing what the air is like *right now*.

3) Other air quality forecasts: the NWS issues forecasts, but I find their website to be kinda clunky. The EPA also issues forecasts, but only 24 hours in advance.

So yeah, this weekend, I waited until Thursday-Friday to make a call on what to do. Saw the smoke is supposed to clear Sunday in the northern Sierra, so I'll get up there for a day trip. The southern Sierra is currently winning the air quality lottery right now, but that will probably change.

Let me know if I've missed anything. There's probably some other good resources out there I don't know about.

[Sierra Miguel]

https://hwp-viz.gsd.esrl.noaa.gov/smoke/index.html

[SSSdave]

There is so much the Internet savvy mountain enthusiast can easily do now in 2021 if they bother to size up air clarity and smoke levels besides general weather forecasts including wind directions and air clarity for days in advance. I especially try to avoid much windy or monsoon conditions over years have had spectacular results visiting lakes when they offered some calm however brief. Easy to do now that I'm retired but while working 8-5 m-f j-d year after year, taking off at short notice more than occasionally would be bad form.

Good sign of maybe in a week some monsoon moisture returning with a south-southeast flow.

People living in the Placerville thru Auburn thru Grass
Valley/NC belt would be wise to be especially paranoid and spurred into actions now before windy days of early fall blow when all is at max dry.

As to where I am going. San Jose August highs are often in 80F's to 90F's. Whole other world along immediate coastal areas. Since mid June hilly San Francisco, an hour north surrounded by moderating cool ocean and bay waters, has only recorded daily invigorating highs in 60F's. Yeah jacket time evenings. Though that is because cool heavy marine air is flowing in through the Golden Gate under-flowing warmer dryer air that expands inland each warm morning while evaporating any o=thin overcast layer. That wind peaks in The Delta most afternoons. Fun world for an urban street walker. But have a growing habit of stopping at most drug store/markets for Twix ice cream bars. Had one this afternoon from CVS along with a package of Necco's one rarely finds.

[texan]

Was in Carson City for three days looking at property(8-4 thru 8/6) and then on Friday morning 8/6 the smoke came early morning. My rental car had ash all over it and decided to go back home. The AQ was 550. From Carson city to Lone Pine the smoke was bad on HWY395. You could barely see the mountains. I have gone up here for 40 years now since I was 16 and never seen it so bad. I pray we get lots of moisture and record snow this winter in the Sierras.

Texan