Wildfire smoke heavy in Staunton area Wednesday morning
VERONA — Stepping outside near Verona Wednesday morning, the sky was hazy and a thick smell of smoke hung over the area. The same conditions were reported in Staunton by several residents.
Kyle Pallozzi with the National Weather Service said it could be from any number of wildfires burning somewhat nearby. One is to the east in Madison County, he said. That one is the Quaker Run fire. He said the wind direction didn't seem to indicate that would impact the Staunton area.
Another had been burning in Pendleton County, West Virginia. There are also some fires in Southwest Virginia, he said.
According to the Wildfire and Smoke map viewable on The News Leader's data page, there is a new wildfire reported in Paxton Peak in Rockbridge County. That covers three acres and was discovered Tuesday afternoon. And there's a wildfire in Matts Creek located in Bedford. That was discovered Sunday night.
"The source of the fire where the smoke is from might be a little uncertain which of those its from," Pallozzi said. "But there are wildfires burning."
He said the other possibility is a meteorological phenomenon called inversion that could be contributing to the intense smoke in the area Wednesday morning. He explained that temperatures are cooler near the surface and warmer aloft, trapping the air at the surface overnight.
"If you have smoke it gets trapped below that inversion and it's in the highest concentration in the morning," Pallozzi said. "And then as we go through the day we get more mixing and it should disperse."
The air quality according to the National Weather Service is 40 as of 10:45 a.m. By noon it was reporting that number up to 64, saying it was acceptable but could be a moderate health risk. Staunton Fire and Rescue posted on its Facebook page that citizens with breathing problems such as asthma are encouraged to stay indoors and keep windows and doors shut.
Elizabeth Szabo has an outdoor air quality station monitor via IQAir that she and her husband, Paul Tolar, purchased. Szabo is concerned that the actual air quality index in Staunton is much higher than 40, no matter what the National Weather Service is reporting.
"My monitors peaked at 250 around 9 a.m." she said Wednesday. "I don’t recall seeing it this smokey here before. My husband called the fire department and confirmed the cause of the smoke is the wildfire close by. I think there’s a lack of air quality stations operated by government agencies in the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding areas."
Her monitor was showing 181 at noon, which is considered unhealthy.
The couple operate a second air quality monitor from PurpleAir to doublecheck their data. Szabo said the two consistently report similar readings.
The National Weather Service did put out a special weather statement that's in effect through 6 p.m. Wednesday, saying there is an elevated fire danger for Northern and Central Virginia, as well as Western Maryland and Eastern West Virginia.
"Residents and visitors are urged to exercise caution if handling open flames or equipment that creates sparks," the statement said.
There are burn bans in place throughout the area.
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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Wildfire smoke heavy in Staunton area Wednesday morning
