The Wildfires thread

[Plutonic Panda]

we need to become an inner planetary species

Let me know when you're done digging your burrow.

It's gonna be a while because I haven't even started. Though I am in Oklahoma, and I have been performing and exploratory dig of this pinon tree that I've planted and have successfully kept alive for the last 10 years because I'm really happy it's here. Though I'm probably gonna have to stop or I'm gonna risk killing the tree and I don't have the money to buy something to be able to map the root system out like lidar or something like that. I'm just really curious about the route system. I've already looked them up online, but it's looking like a real healthy specimen.

[Max Rockatansky]

Tomorrow would be a good day to find a place where there's nothing but dirt and rocks as far as the eye can see to try to figure out why Elon Musk wants to live on Mars.

Well because fires are a natural part of the earth cycle, and we need to become an inner planetary species. What's the point in arguing against going to Mars? Is it just a lot of this border or a bunch of liberals and don't like Elon Musk? I've often wondered why we don't let more of these fires just burn out. Instead, we could consistently try to put them out and then we get these mega fires and then wonder what the heck's going on. And no, I'm not a climate change denier either. But if it up to me, I would say let the forest burn down. A new one will grow.

I'm not saying I'm against interplanetary colonization necessarily (although I do question whether humanity is mature enough for it at this time), I just don't see the attraction of the living arrangements from a personal perspective.  Nor do I like how many of the rich and powerful seem to be using the idea that they'll just go to space or to a bunker as an excuse to ruin the planet and let society decay away.  I get that they like money (imagine Frito saying he likes money in Idiocracy), but I would think quality of life would matter more than how much money you have.  What's the point of having a ton of money if you're stuck in a bunker or space colony habitat with no view and limited food/recreational options?

I pretty much agree I mean personally I don't wanna leave the Earth. That would really suck if you got to Mars and then realized you didn't wanna be there. But I do think it's important sorry for the vulgarity, but to spread our seed so to speak.

I also find it a little weird and kind of alarming that all of a sudden these rich people are all the sudden so invested in getting out of earth. It almost reminds me of that one movie with Matt Damon, where they have that orbital spaceship. I forgot what it's called but it's almost like global warming. It's real and we're gonna die in the rich people know it and they're trying to escape. I know that's a tinfoil hat, conspiracy theory lol kind of

The movie you're thinking of is The Martian.  Also last I checked the odds of death are 100%.  I rather not be on Mars having to fend off a wave of demons spawning in from the break room Gore Nest.  I feel as my abilities with a chainsaw would only yield so many health bonuses. 

[kalvado]

we need to become an inner planetary species

Let me know when you're done digging your burrow.

I have an office in the basement at home. 

[NWI_Irish96]

Tomorrow would be a good day to find a place where there's nothing but dirt and rocks as far as the eye can see to try to figure out why Elon Musk wants to live on Mars.

He wants to live on Mars because there are no non-white people there.

Do you really believe that or is this just in jest?

He's actually said that.

[Plutonic Panda]

Tomorrow would be a good day to find a place where there's nothing but dirt and rocks as far as the eye can see to try to figure out why Elon Musk wants to live on Mars.

He wants to live on Mars because there are no non-white people there.

Do you really believe that or is this just in jest?

He's actually said that.

I searched that and I can't find that. Where did he say that at?

[Plutonic Panda]

Tomorrow would be a good day to find a place where there's nothing but dirt and rocks as far as the eye can see to try to figure out why Elon Musk wants to live on Mars.

Well because fires are a natural part of the earth cycle, and we need to become an inner planetary species. What's the point in arguing against going to Mars? Is it just a lot of this border or a bunch of liberals and don't like Elon Musk? I've often wondered why we don't let more of these fires just burn out. Instead, we could consistently try to put them out and then we get these mega fires and then wonder what the heck's going on. And no, I'm not a climate change denier either. But if it up to me, I would say let the forest burn down. A new one will grow.

I'm not saying I'm against interplanetary colonization necessarily (although I do question whether humanity is mature enough for it at this time), I just don't see the attraction of the living arrangements from a personal perspective.  Nor do I like how many of the rich and powerful seem to be using the idea that they'll just go to space or to a bunker as an excuse to ruin the planet and let society decay away.  I get that they like money (imagine Frito saying he likes money in Idiocracy), but I would think quality of life would matter more than how much money you have.  What's the point of having a ton of money if you're stuck in a bunker or space colony habitat with no view and limited food/recreational options?

I pretty much agree I mean personally I don't wanna leave the Earth. That would really suck if you got to Mars and then realized you didn't wanna be there. But I do think it's important sorry for the vulgarity, but to spread our seed so to speak.

I also find it a little weird and kind of alarming that all of a sudden these rich people are all the sudden so invested in getting out of earth. It almost reminds me of that one movie with Matt Damon, where they have that orbital spaceship. I forgot what it's called but it's almost like global warming. It's real and we're gonna die in the rich people know it and they're trying to escape. I know that's a tinfoil hat, conspiracy theory lol kind of

The movie you're thinking of is The Martian.  Also last I checked the odds of death are 100%.  I rather not be on Mars having to fend off a wave of demons spawning in from the break room Gore Nest.  I feel as my abilities with a chainsaw would only yield so many health bonuses. 

No, it wasn't the Martian. It was the one where he walked into some sort of chamber and got dose of radiation and they have an orbital ship around earth. And then he wanted to go up there, but they were shooting one and then he saved a little girl or something like that.

[bing101]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/northern-ontario/article/180-active-wildfires-tearing-through-parts-of-northern-ontario-dozens-deemed-out-of-control/

One would think Toronto and the Northeast US has a wildfire in their own neighborhoods.  Yes one thinks Toronto has terrain like the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, Santa Monica Mountains or San Gabriel Mountains. if one is not aware beyond this headline of Canada worst air quality. 

[vdeane]

I heard that Rochester had nearly four digit air quality readings.  Near Albany, the sky was less surreal but it smelled worse.  At work (yes, there's a point to this seeming non-sequitur) we have turnstiles at the entrance, and rather than install traditional ones like from a subway or theme park, then instead have rotating glass doors that use cameras to detect when someone is trying to get in.  The smell was bad enough to detect it between the turnstiles and the exterior door, making the turnstile feel like an airlock.  I guess I got part of the Mars experience after all.

But I do think it's important sorry for the vulgarity, but to spread our seed so to speak.

Spreading your seed is important... but can have consequences.

[Max Rockatansky]

Four digit?  I thought AQI only went to 500?  The report I'm reading right now has Rochester at 178. 

[vdeane]

Four digit?  I thought AQI only went to 500?  The report I'm reading right now has Rochester at 178. 

According to Eric Snitil, it was in the 900s in spots earlier.  Although watching the video again, it's possible that the spots he was thinking of were just places on the wider map he showed, which included Duluth and Toledo (both in the 700s at the time he broadcasted).

https://www.rochesterfirst.com/weather/weather-forecasts/weather-forecast-smoke-holds-on-thursday/ (note that the video will probably update at some point; at the time I'm linking this, it's the weather from the 6:00 news on News8 WROC).

[kalvado]

Four digit?  I thought AQI only went to 500?  The report I'm reading right now has Rochester at 178. 

Methodology explicitly says how to work with numbers above 500..
Although...
I really hope whoever wrote that methodology got canned by Elon's boys and someone qualified will make a new version someday.

[Rothman]

Syracuse didn't break 200 today.

[kalvado]

Syracuse didn't break 200 today.

.... Yet

[bing101]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/friday-smoke-air-quality-toronto-gta-9.7273698

Here is more. 

[bing101]

https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-smoke-sick-dying-asthma-heartattack-climate-65b51f04cd29648d952a7e41160841d3

Here is more and yes I expected this to happen as we mentioned in past wildfires. 

[kalvado]

Four digit?  I thought AQI only went to 500?  The report I'm reading right now has Rochester at 178. 

Right now, Virginia MN is reported as 626 on airnow. Webcam streams are pretty clear though.

[kalvado]

Four digit?  I thought AQI only went to 500?  The report I'm reading right now has Rochester at 178. 

Right now, Virginia MN is reported as 626 on airnow. Webcam streams are pretty clear though.

The highest number overnight they had was 1076.

[Max Rockatansky]

Wunderground only shows 0-500 for AQI.  Where is this larger figure from Virginia, MN being reported from?

[ET21]

Chicago obliterated it's worst air quality record yesterday, it was way worse then 2023. Had AQI's pushing 900-1000 overnight and visibility kept going under one mile.

It's slowly getting better today as SW flow takes over alongside some pop up storms, but we're still in orange/red categories.

[kalvado]

Wunderground only shows 0-500 for AQI.  Where is this larger figure from Virginia, MN being reported from?

https://gispub.epa.gov/airnow/?contours=none&monitors=pm&xmin=-10386217.0960545&xmax=-10239458.00174716&ymin=5981905.297464895&ymax=6044048.601460659
Click on a circle with a number (detector), then "plot data"

[gonealookin]

Four digit?  I thought AQI only went to 500?  The report I'm reading right now has Rochester at 178. 

Right now, Virginia MN is reported as 626 on airnow. Webcam streams are pretty clear though.

The highest number overnight they had was 1076.

We have a lot of experience with wildfire smoke in the Sierra.

I'd caution against using a specific sensor and saying "the highest number was..."

Here's our local map I pulled off Purple Air just now.  You can see whose sensor is right next to an idling diesel truck (or perhaps the sensor is just malfunctioning).



You need to look at areawide averages rather than "what's the highest number I can find?"

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The worst of it moved out of MSP before dinner time last night. It was a pretty horrible 24 hours.

[kalvado]

Four digit?  I thought AQI only went to 500?  The report I'm reading right now has Rochester at 178. 

Right now, Virginia MN is reported as 626 on airnow. Webcam streams are pretty clear though.

The highest number overnight they had was 1076.

We have a lot of experience with wildfire smoke in the Sierra.

I'd caution against using a specific sensor and saying "the highest number was..."

Here's our local map I pulled off Purple Air just now.  You can see whose sensor is right next to an idling diesel truck (or perhaps the sensor is just malfunctioning).

You need to look at areawide averages rather than "what's the highest number I can find?"

Point was about methodology allowing for values above 500, and even above 1000, to be reported - not about how bad it was in a specific location. It is possible that these high numbers are real, though, as nearby places (e.g. Duluth) also had 900-1000+ at the same time

[bing101]

https://abc7news.com/post/morgan-fire-evacuation-warning-issued-crews-battle-4-alarm-vegetation-territory-mount-diablo-state-parks/19529333/

Update an area near Mt Diablo is on Wildfire watch. 

[bing101]

https://www.reuters.com/world/ontario-buy-new-11-new-aircraft-very-difficult-wildfire-fight-2026-07-17/

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/17/trump-canada-wildfire-tariffs.html

Geez that reminds me of Trump talking about draining the Sacramento Delta related to the 2025 Southern California wildfires. Tariffs on Canada related to wildfires is crazy here.