Air Stagnation Advisory!

[Andrew Geil]

Wow. I'd never seen one of these before on the NWS site. Man, they have something for everything now. :>

...AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 12 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 11 AM
CST WEDNESDAY...

THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES HAS REQUESTED THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES ISSUE AN AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY.

AN AIR QUALITY ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR POOR AIR QUALITY
ACROSS IOWA.

Hold yer breath Iowans!

 

[rdale]

No idea what happened at that office - it was sent out as a Non Precipitation Warning! Those are used for things like dense fog, high winds, etc. There is a special product just for these, called the ASA, which was not used. Strange...

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Since I am 1 mile into NE from IA I wonder if it is safe for me to go outside. I knew I should of saved that respirator from work.

 

[Joel Wright]

I guess that can explain why I was horribly out of breath jogging today.

Actually, it's from being out of shape over the winter lol.

 

[Bill Schintler]

RE: Stagnate WX pattern in the upper-Midwest

A very boring WX pattern currently in place. Basically, a weak surface ridge parked over the area,
resulting in calm winds and slowly sinking air in the lowest levels
of the atmosphere. Additionally, temperatures at or just above
freezing has resulted in some snowmelt, resulting in the fog and
stratus; which is further serving to inhibit mixing. bill

 

[Craig Maire II]

Air stagnation advisory

I have my Holmes air purifiers running on high at my apartment, this weather is not good for my asthma! Nor is all this mud and melting snow good for my formerly new shoes!

 

[Alex Lamers]

It's been used before...probably not in such a widespread nature in the upper midwest so much. AQI around here is up over 100 but no advisory.

...Alex Lamers...

 

[Bill Schintler]

Air Stagnation Advisory

I could sure see visual evidence of it while driving into Cedar Rapids, IA this morning. A brown haze hanging over the city... bill

 

[Doug Lee]

Tulsa has a similar warning during the summer, the "Ozone Alert." Stagant air tends to suppress the dissipation of ozone near the surface.

 

[Chris Geelhart]

Originally posted by rdale
No idea what happened at that office - it was sent out as a Non Precipitation Warning! Those are used for things like dense fog, high winds, etc. There is a special product just for these, called the ASA, which was not used. Strange...

I was surprised too about the use of NPW, but I went to check out the NWS instruction 10-515 regarding NPW's, and found the following in a table on allowable advisories (p. 21):

Air Stagnation Advisory -- "Atmospheric conditions stable enough to cause air pollutants to accumulate in a given area. Criteria developed in conjunction with the local or state EPA and the product issued at their request. Note: WFOs that have an air stagnation advisory program in
cooperation with state and local air quality officials may issue this product under the product category ASA."

(italicized section was also italicized in the NWSI 10-515)

Chris G.