Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Jun 8, 2023 8:06:01 GMT -5
DC just issued a Code Purple because of the Canadian wildfire smoke. The Code Purple is for fine particulate matter (2.5 microns). 2.5 microns is about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Also smaller than the size of aerosols that help transmit the COVID virus.
These codes follow a topology of risk created by the U.S. EPA.
I suspect this is the first time for a Code Purple issuance in DC. Even more foreboding is code Maroon. I Googled whether a Code Maroon alert had ever been issued in the United States and found no reference that one had. (Philadelphia's air quality briefly deteriorated to Maroon levels last night, but no alert.)
Anywayz, the Purples and Maroons will meet in Chestnut Hill in a few months. Hopefully, Canada will have stopped burning by then.
On a cheerier climate note, there is still 20 feet of snow on the upper terrain at Mammoth ski resort in California (about a five hour drive from LA). The resort is promising skiing in July. Really, really remarkable how much snow remains in the southern Sierra. As of June 7, the snow water equivalent is 425 percent of normal in the southern Sierra (where Mammoth is.) In the central Sierra (e.g., Tahoe / Donner area) the snow water equivalent yesterday was 17.2 inches; or170+ inches of back-breaking heavy, wet snow)
These codes follow a topology of risk created by the U.S. EPA.
I suspect this is the first time for a Code Purple issuance in DC. Even more foreboding is code Maroon. I Googled whether a Code Maroon alert had ever been issued in the United States and found no reference that one had. (Philadelphia's air quality briefly deteriorated to Maroon levels last night, but no alert.)
Anywayz, the Purples and Maroons will meet in Chestnut Hill in a few months. Hopefully, Canada will have stopped burning by then.
On a cheerier climate note, there is still 20 feet of snow on the upper terrain at Mammoth ski resort in California (about a five hour drive from LA). The resort is promising skiing in July. Really, really remarkable how much snow remains in the southern Sierra. As of June 7, the snow water equivalent is 425 percent of normal in the southern Sierra (where Mammoth is.) In the central Sierra (e.g., Tahoe / Donner area) the snow water equivalent yesterday was 17.2 inches; or170+ inches of back-breaking heavy, wet snow)
