Living with constant smoke

[pinkytoe]

We have been dealing with smoke from the fires now for at least three weeks - it is thick enough that one can only see a faint outline of the mountains if any at all. It didn't bother me too much at first but now my lungs feel heavy, my throat scratchy and my eyes burn. It makes me feel very tired. We don't have AC so we have some windows open since it is so hot. It also curtails any road trips or outdoor activities. Even a short walk is taxing. Wondering how those with compromised breathing even deal with this. I hope this is not the new normal for many of us.

[happystuff]

I'm so sorry, pinkytoe. I hope it subsides soon.

I have friends in northern California suffering through the exact same thing. Unfortunately, they had some equipment lost to the fire, so their business has been majorly hit. So far, their home is safe, but they are watching closely.

Prayers to everyone dealing with all aspect of this and any fires!

[Rogar]

I'm guessing that smoke and ozone pollution are going to be a fact of life for the upcoming many summers. It's generally better in the early mornings which is when I try to get my morning outings and chores done. The "air quality index" (AQI) is commonly available on many of the weather sites as well as special sites dedicated to it, such as iqair. It's my gauge of whether to curtain outdoor activities. My Alexa even knows when I ask, how's the smoke. It's pretty unpleasant, but one of the climate change events that is probably going to persist to some degree or another. I spend some days mostly indoors, which sort of sucks for summer, but have not noticed any adverse respiratory issues.

A friend recently bought a small one room air conditioner so he can close up the house during the heat of the day and stay near the air conditioner room. I air the house out in the cool mornings when the pollution is better, but am lucky to have an air conditioner that I use in the afternoons and evenings.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Buy an air filter if you don't have one. Getting a new filter for my existing air filter was certainly on my to-do-list, and still not done, but luckily smoke has not been bad here. I also have an extra air filter in the closet though, to give to family or whatever if it got bad.

[Teacher Terry]

It’s not been fun the last few summers. This has been the worst with fire season starting 6 weeks early. I have asthma so am careful. I have central AC and a air cleaner. Thankfully I am averaging being able to take my 2 mile walk about 4 days a week. Either early in the morning or at 7:30 at night.

[happystuff]

This is all from the Dixie Fire, right, pinkytoe?

[Yppej]

That smoke has reached the East Coast on a couple occasions.

Today was so rare - a day without excessive heat, haze or humidity or torrential rains.

I never thought I'd colonize outer space, but maybe there is a nicer planet somewhere.

[razz]

So sorry this is happening.

[Teacher Terry]

Happy, the Dixie fire is the worst but the West unfortunately has no shortage of fires occurring at the same time.

[happystuff]

Happy, the Dixie fire is the worst but the West unfortunately has no shortage of fires occurring at the same time.

Sigh... so sad.

Stay safe, everyone!

[KayLR]

Pinkytoe, I know exactly how you're feeling. That was us last summer. Not only the fires in southern Oregon and California, but the Columbia River Gorge was on fire too. It was otherworldly-looking here. And nasty to be breathing in.

It shall pass. Hang in there. We had a tiny bit of rain today. Not sure if it was measurable or not; we haven't had measurable rain for 65 days. I felt like manna from heaven was coming down.

[dado potato]

The Air Quality is Unhealthy in places, so I think it makes sense to stay indoors in those areas.

Exercise outdoors in the sunlight is uplifting, but particulate matter at an unhealthy level is a downer. An indoor exercise alternative might be 5BX for men or women.

A few more ideas for improving the indoor air quality:
Set air conditioner to recirculate.
Avoid indoor air pollution (candles, frying, vaping, pet dander)
Vacuuming tends to blow fine particles into the air. So allow particles to settle in a room when no one is present: Vacuum bedrooms early in the morning, living room and hallways before going out.

Be well!

[jp1]

Holy cow. I just read that the AQI in Reno was 694 on Monday. We’ve never had it over 350 in San Francisco and those times were really awful so I can’t even imagine how it must be when it’s nearly 700. Teacher Terry I hope you’re staying safe.

[Teacher Terry]

Thanks JP. Actually those ridiculous numbers come from places like purple air that aren’t reliable. I use air now.gov and at our worst we were at 368 and Tahoe close to 500. I have been stuck in the house but today at least I could go to a store in my car. I really miss walking the dogs.

[jp1]

So glad to hear that it's not quite as bad a reported. But it still doesn't sound good. It's interesting. The other day it occurred to me that the first 7 or 8 years we lived in San Francisco we never had smoke issues. Now we have them pretty much every year for at least 2-3 weeks. This year we haven't yet (keeping my fingers crossed) but it's still early for us. Rain doesn't usually start until mid-October so we've got two months where things can get ugly.

[Teacher Terry]

I am coming to your area to see a friend in October. I remember when this rarely happened. The last 4 years have been bad but this is the worst.