Air stagnation advisory issued for Lane County, residents urged to avoid wood burning
An air stagnation advisory was issued by the National Weather Service for Lane County and most of the southern Willamette Valley on Tuesday morning, and will be in effect through noon Thursday.
State air quality agencies "highly recommend" no outdoor burning take place and residential wood burning be limited as much as possible, the advisory states.
The stagnant air could lead to deteriorating air quality, and is a result of an increased number of people burning wood, according to the NWS.
"A lot of the bad air develops from people burning wood, either scrap wood in their back yards or the firewood, and that inversion traps in bad air," said meteorologist Daniel Hartsock with the National Weather Service in Portland. "It’s typically in that fall season when people are cutting down branches and such, and burning, mostly residential wood burning."
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Hartsock explained that stagnant air is usually a result of increased burning mixed with high pressure overhead, which creates an inversion in the atmosphere and traps particulates close to the ground.
Those planning to burn wood are urged to wait until the air stagnation is gone, Hartsock said, noting he understands burning is sometimes a person's only heat source.
"That's why it's an advisory and there's no mandate right now," he said.
The deteriorating air quality could cause problems for people with respiratory problems, and those people are advised to follow their physician's advice for dealing with high levels of air pollution, the advisory adds.
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The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency also issued a "yellow" advisory in effect through Wednesday. The advisory is a cautionary warning that air condition is predicted to be stagnant with low ventilation, and encourages residents to use alternate forms of heat.
"While it is still legal to use your woodstove or fireplace, we strongly encourage people to use other forms of heat like electric, propane, or natural gas," the advisory states.
The National Weather Service advisory applies to the southern Willamette Valley, and east in the Cascade Range, including Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Albany, Lebanon, Vida, Jasper, Lowell, Cottage Grove, McKenzie Pass, McKenzie Bridge, Oakridge and Willamette Pass.
The air quality index was still in the "good" range in Eugene and Springfield as of Tuesday morning, with an AQI of 20, according to LRAPA.
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect LRAPA extending its "yellow" advisory through Wednesday.
Louis Krauss covers breaking news for The Register-Guard. Contact him at lkrauss@registerguard.com or 541-521-2498, and follow him on Twitter @LouisKraussNews.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Air stagnation advisory issued for Lane County through noon Thursday
