Air Quality Advisory Issued For Southern Oregon Counties

MEDFORD, OR — Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality on Monday extended an air quality advisory for several southern Oregon counties currently experiencing thick smoke from numerous wildfires across the southern portion of the state. The advisory extension is expected to continue through Friday.

The advisory extension was issued specifically for Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath counties and parts of Lake County, including Lakeview. Air quality issues were first noted in Jackson County July 13, before DEQ officials issued a proper advisory for the three border counties on July 23. This advisory extension marks the fourth time since July 13 that the state DEQ has addressed increasing smoke in the area.

According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), nearly 650 individual Oregon wildfires have burned well more than 100,000 acres in 2018 alone.

In Josephine County the Taylor Creek and Klondike fires are currently burning roughly 70,000 acres combined. According to the Incident Information System (InciWeb), the Taylor Creek Fire is 38 percent contained while the Klondike Fire is only 5 percent contained. And the South Umpqua Complex, made up of several smaller fires, is currently burning more than 26,000 acres in northern Jackson and southern Douglas counties.

While the air between Medford and Ashland has been designated "unhealthy," the air around Shady Cove has been designated "very unhealthy."

Current air quality reports for Oregon are available at DEQ.State.OR.us. The National Weather Service also offers an air quality map at wrh.noaa.gov.

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Forecasters with the National Weather Service are reportedly expecting continued high temperatures nearing or hitting 100 degrees this week across the affected areas, bringing little hope for any change in the smoky conditions. Temperatures could drop into the low to mid 80s over the next weekend, but smoke will apparently be a problem for the foreseeable future.

If you live in an area where an advisory has been issued, DEQ officials offer the following tips:

• Be aware of smoke concentrations in your area and avoid the places with highest concentrations;
• Avoid strenuous outdoor activity in smoky conditions;
• If you have heart disease, asthma or other respiratory ailments, or are over 65, you have a higher risk of illness from wildfire smoke;
• Small children and pregnant women are also at increased risk. People in any of these groups might consider leaving the area until air quality improves; and
• People suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems should follow their breathing management plans or contact their healthcare providers.

Visit the Oregon Smoke Blog for more information.

Image via Ashley Ludwig/Patch