Travelling to areas affected by wildfires

Is there a way to know two weeks beforehand whether it's safe or desirable to travel to an area currently affected by wildfires?

I have a holiday booked in Northern California and Southern Oregon starting in about three weeks. Our house-swap hosts in Ashland, OR, just emailed us to let us know they are experiencing very poor air quality due to the surrounding wildfires, and have to stay inside all day, which does not sound like an inviting vacation experience.
We are travelling from New Zealand, so the cost of a cancelled ticket will be significant, especially if it's for a reason not covered by insurance (via our credit card). The hotels and B&Bs we've booked in between San Francisco (our airport of entry) and Ashland all have free cancellation, so I'm not worried about that.
Our host would like us to decide this week whether we are still coming or not, as they need to find someone else to watch their house while they are away. I don't know enough about the nature of wildfires to know if I can expect them to burn out in two weeks, or if more wildfires will start to take their place.

What can I tell him?

Best Answer

If you have your tickets and other travel booked already, you should go on the trip - it's rather hard to know weeks ahead for any given day what conditions will be. The chances of terrible smoke every day during your trip are relatively low, given wind direction and general conditions right now, and the chance of less and less smoke in the Ashland area throughout August seems decent. There may even be a slight amount if rain in the next week or two. https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/ashland-or/97520/daily-weather-forecast/335282?day=6

Currently the worst fire in the region, called "Carr", is near Redding, CA; there are a number of other fires from Central Oregon down into Northern CA, including at least one in OR and two others in CA that are over 10k acres. However, most active fires near the CA-OR border are quite small right now. You will have to travel either through the Redding area on I-5, or take a route further from the fires (ie. closer to the coast, through Eureka) up US Hwys 101 and 1. You could avoid the smokiest areas if necessary given road conditions as they stand.

If you're willing to be flexible about the conditions in Ashland, and be willing to change the locations where you might stay in CA, things could work out perfectly fine. A few days indoors there wouldn't mean you couldn't still visit the coast, which is often immune to inland wildfire smoke. On the other hand, it is a small risk you're playing with, as it's looking like a bad fire season and new fires could be growing in Northern Calif by the time you get here.

If you're able to bring extra things with you in your suitcase that could help with adverse air conditions, that would be prudent. Extra clothing, water (bottles), and possibly masks are the most obvious. https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-10479/Dust-Masks-and-Respirators/Uline-N95-Standard-Industrial-Respirator-with-Valve?pricode=WB0200 https://www.outsideonline.com/1783256/what-do-i-need-know-about-traveling-wildfire-country https://www.sacbee.com/news/weather/article214428159.html

In short, it might seem like a good idea right now to cancel the trip due to what you see in the media, but if the weather clears up, you might really regret having spent the money! The main caveat is to watch changing conditions daily, including signing up for alerts from state & federal systems.

P.s. Useful information on fire conditions For Calif: http://www.fire.ca.gov/general/firemaps CalFire app and SMS alert: http://calfire.ca.gov/communications/socialmedia Roads: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov For Mtn West: https://fsapps.nwcg.gov

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Is it safe to travel to California due to fires?

Is it safe for visitors to travel to California during wildfire season? California is a large state and wildfires in one location typically have no impact outside a limited area.

Are the California fires affecting air travel?

The devastating wildfires in Butte County are causing unhealthy air quality conditions, reduced visibility, and wide spread smoke and haze. As a result, SFO is experiencing some delays and cancellations.

Is it safe to travel to BC with the fires?

Interior Health has advised against travel to and from the Central Okanagan due to ash and smoke. Parts of B.C.'s Interior are also dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks, which have prompted health officials to discourage non-essential travel.

Where are high risk locations for wildfires?

California has the most at-risk properties because of its large size and Mediterranean climate. But across the Southern half of the country, states including Texas, Florida, Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, North Carolina and South Carolina stand at the forefront of a growing problem.

Why wildfires have gotten worse -- and what we can do about it | Paul Hessburg

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