The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge.
We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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September 8, 2020
Pacific Northwest
Wildfire smoke is an ongoing horrible story for folks in the West this summer. We’ve been hearing reports from our California bucketeers; today western Washington is under a thick pall of it. The smoke is coming from the Eastern Washington wildfires, primarily the Evans fire out by Yakima.
Last night the moon rose orangish so we knew it was coming in. This morning it’s dense and acrid.
A neighbor’s photo from the beach this morning:
Salish Sea view today
The wildfires have been going on for weeks east of the mountains. What changed?
Major offshore flow as the wind shifted around from a strong northerly blow yesterday, to now coming from the east, across the Cascade mountains.
An anomalous windstorm developed yesterday, something I can’t remember feeling here before in my 34 years on the island: a very hot nor’easter, in summer. The wind picked up in the morning hours and blew from the north 20-28 mph all day. We get these nor’easters in winter but this time it was 80°F. Felt like the tropics. We kept our windows and doors open.
The hot windstorm would have been the primary news to report from here: masses of leaves, needles and cones all over the yard, including fir scales. True firs bear cones on upper branches and the cones don’t fall off as units. The scales break off individually. In this unprecedented wind, they all broke away in one day. The chippies are probably in heaven.
…. if the chippies weren’t having to breathe this awful unhealthy air today. Current conditions from two air quality sites, AirNow and PurpleAir, showing the effect of air flow from the east shown below. The strong northerly flow yesterday held this off, but that has subsided now, and the high pressure inland is now pushing air toward the northwest.
Forecast is for gradual clearing in western Washington over the next couple of days. In the meantime I’ll stay indoors. This air is hard on my lungs and eyes. Sympathies to everyone having to breathe this stuff right now, and ongoing.
Fallen stuff in one of my birdbaths today shows an effect of yesterday’s windstorm: Doug fir needles, Grand Fir cone scales, Shore pine male cone debris, particulates and more.
Wind is invisible but the effects can be seen
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Dry and smoky today in the PNW. Cooled down into the 60s after a hot day yesterday.
What’s up in nature in your area today?
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