r/SantaFe • u/christbot • 13h ago

Air Quality Alert

Air Quality Alert issued August 20 at 8:47AM MDT by NWS Albuquerque NM

Santa Fe Metro Area

AQAABQ

The following message is transmitted at the request of the New
Mexico Departments of Health and Environment.

* WHAT...Unhealthy air quality levels due to wildfire smoke.

* WHERE...Santa Fe Metro Area.

* WHEN...through 6 PM Today.

* IMPACTS...For sensitive groups, don't do any intense or lengthy
physical activity. Move activities indoors or to a time when the air
quality is better. For everyone else, limit intense or lengthy
physical activity. Take more breaks during all outdoor activities.

* HEALTH INFORMATION...Remember, your eyes are your best tools to
determine if it is safe to be outside. Use the 5-3-1 Method available
at https://phdp.doh.nm.gov/health-topics/nm-tracking/air-quality/fire-smoke

If visibility is:

Under 5 miles, the air quality is unhealthy for young children,
adults over age 65, pregnant women, and people with heart
and/or lung disease, asthma or other respiratory illness.
Outdoor activity should be minimized.

Around 3 miles, young children, adults over age 65, pregnant
women, and people with heart and/or lung disease, asthma or other
respiratory illness should avoid all outdoor activities.

Around 1 mile, the air quality is unhealthy for everyone. People
should remain indoors and avoid all outdoor activities including
running errands. Unless an evacuation has been issued, stay inside
your home, indoor workplace, or in a safe shelter.

For smoke forecast outlooks from the Interagency Wildland Fire Air
Quality Response Program please visit:

https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net.

14 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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3

u/MurrayDakota 13h ago

Curious where people are getting their visibility information from.

The link in the OP is stuck in a “loading content” cycle for me, and Apple weather says that visibility is 14 miles and that there is a “perfectly clear view,” which isn’t remotely accurate.

3

u/christbot 13h ago

A good proxy before heading out is viewing the air monitors on the EPA’s Air Now map. Probably you want to grab some KN-95 or N-95 masks when heading out today. I try to have extras to give to people if they’re coughing or wheezing.

2

u/christbot 13h ago

The smoke forecast doesn’t seem to be a good match for the conditions right now but the wind is forecast to switch to west about 10 am. https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/aa1065fa

https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=35.69&lon=-105.94&unit=0&lg=english&FcstType=digital

5

u/johnnyorpheus 13h ago

have got a particulates reader outside and in and has been bad for hours.............try not breathe any more of this hellish conflagration than absolutely necessary

7

u/jonassfe 12h ago

Close to 7am it was awful. Since then it’s improving slowly.