As the Southeast Recovers From Back-to-Back Hurricanes, Wildfires And Ozone Degrade Air Quality In The West
In the second week of October, wildfires in Wyoming and Oregon and high ozone days in Texas have led to spikes in particulate matter and ozone and prompted the National Weather Service to issue air quality alerts for dozens of counties. Currently, there are 106 counties under some kind of air quality alert, representing 9.0% of the U.S. population.
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The major pollution event right now is the Elk Fire in Sheridan County, Wyoming. As of Thursday, the Elk Fire had spread to more than 79,000 acres, and more than 900 personnel were working to contain the blaze. Other alerts were issued in Fremont County in Wyoming due to the Pack Trail Fire, as well as wildfire-related alerts in Klamath, Lake, and Deschutes counties in Oregon, and Lemhi County in Montana.
Meanwhile, environmental officials throughout the Southwest have issued alerts for potential high ozone activity in several major cities. Conditions that can contribute to high ozone days include intense sunlight and heat, vehicle and industrial emissions, and low wind speeds. Major cities impacted by poor air quality due to high ozone right now include Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, and Mesa.
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