AIR STAGNATION...Tell me about this (Portland, Eugene: how much, home, allergies)

[OregonLove63]

Hi there great people of Oregon! Happy New Year!!
You may remember me. I posted a while back about wanting to move to Oregon, but where? (got lots of great info, by the way...so thanks for that!!)
But here I am again, wanting some "insider's" input on something we've learned. My husband and I both are tracking the weather in several cities in Oregon this winter, to help us decide what part of your beautiful state might suit us best. Well, what we've learned is that there are frequently these "Air Stagnation" warnings. While we understand what air stagnation is, what we wonder is, just how much does this affect every day life in those areas that tend to have these warnings? Is the air so bad that you can't breathe?? Please, some of you fine residents, enlighten us about this....it is a bit concerning...but if you tell us it's no big deal, then we'll just not worry about it and continue our quest to move there!!
Thanks in advance for any helpful info you can give!!

[jjpop]

Add in a search for air quality reports, particularly ozone and particulate matter (PM). You'll see that the air quality is somewhat diminished, but certainly not Beijing level.

[PNW-type-gal]

It makes the view of the distant mountains hazy. The air stagnation alerts rarely get to levels in which they warn of health issues.

Generally the advisories are in the valleys (Willamette, Rogue, Klamath Basin) during winter, when a layer of air (usually warmer) moves in from offshore and traps cooler air below. It takes a weather pattern change to wash/blow it out. Frequently an air stagnation advisory means fog, either patchy or heavy.

This winter has had a ton of the advisories, because we have a high pressure area just parked off the coast, circling around. It's also been unusually dry (extreme drought level dry) because of that high pressure. Crater Lake National Park, which usually has 15-20 feet of snow at the main lodge this time of year, has bare grass showing in places. Not normal weather, by any means.

[Minervah]

From a personal perspective, if you have respiratory problems, I can tell you that Portland has not been good this for the past few months or more. I suffer from asthma and pulmonary Sarcoidosis. It's the asthma that acting up though. I just went to see my pulmonary specialist today for a routine exam and she told me that there are definite "noises" in my lungs which she has been hearing a lot of in her patients lately. She attributes this to air inversions and told me all of her patients are complaining about having more difficulty breathing.

Now it isn't a serious thing for me but some of her other patients are having more problems and are staying indoors. I am just using my nebulizer more. Air inversions are not common and people with normal lung capacity don't even notice it. It isn't heavy pollution although there may be more than normal. It's just air that doesn't move around as much as we are used to or rain that doesn't continually fall or whatever. I am not a meteorologist so I can't say for sure but my doctor's verification that more people with more lung function problems who already have them are having more problems.

Hopefully, this winter is just a fluke and the rains that wash our air from its present stagnation and will return in the amounts we normally have.

[bler144]

I agree with most of the other posts, but would add it also depends on precisely where you're talking. In Portland (in a valley, but not really solidly bound - air can move north/south or particularly east/west along the gorge) it manifests primarily as haze.

Farther down the Willamette Valley (since this was posted in the general Oregon forum), particularly in a place like Eugene where the valley narrows out, you can almost taste it when an inversion lingers. Wood smoke, auto exhaust, etc.

For someone with healthy lungs and no allergies to those particulates, it's unpleasant but mostly just annoying. If you have major lung or sinus issues, I'd be hesitant.

[Minervah]

Better for me today. I haven't looked up the weather report so I don't know just what conditions are. Yesterday was not fun. I took some major hits on the nebulizer machine and did just fine walking the two blocks back and forth to the supermarket. I am going to venture out for a walk later.

A friend of mine called last night who has untreated asthma wound up in the ER with breathing problems but after some treatment and an inhaler to take home is doing well. I don't mean to make this sound like some sort of epidemic, it isn't. Most people have no knowledge of these problems nor do they need to. But I just want to emphasize that if one has respiratory problems and is considering a move around these parts, make certain you are aware of them.

It would be a good idea to consult with an allergist or pulmonologist where you are living at present.

[Silverfall]

Salem has had one air stagnation warning that I'm aware of recently. It was about a month ago. It just stunk in industrial areas as the wind took nothing away. The city itself was fine.

I've had clients that have moved here and had to move away because their health issues were exacerbated. None of my friends or I have ever had issues here. Eugene can be a bit worse because it sits north of where the Coastal Range and Cascade Range come together.

[Brynach]

In Southern Oregon, in the valleys, we get air stagnation. I can feel it when the air quality is not too good. It's like I can't good a good breath of air. Like I'm just not getting as much air as I would on a short day. It leaves me feeling a little short of breath.

[oldtrader]

Don't believe it when someone tells you that Salem is fine. We had to move out of the Willamette Valley, and leave or as the doctor said, "Arrange your wife's funeral now, as it will make it easier on you when the air kills her.

It is not only in industrial areas, as air spreads out when there is an inversion problem and does not just stick to industrial areas.

If you have lung problems in your family, don't move to the populated areas in Oregon valleys.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by oldtrader

Don't believe it when someone tells you that Salem is fine. We had to move out of the Willamette Valley, and leave or as the doctor said, "Arrange your wife's funeral now, as it will make it easier on you when the air kills her.

It is not only in industrial areas, as air spreads out when there is an inversion problem and does not just stick to industrial areas.

If you have lung problems in your family, don't move to the populated areas in Oregon valleys.

Gosh, Old Trader, I hope your wife is much better now. Yes, people often think of respiratory problems as something that happens in industrial areas. Ironically, I had fewer lung problems living in Chicago near lake Michigan where the air always moved even though there was heavy traffic and large buildings that burned fossil fuel.

Here is Portland, wood smoke and the many flora type things that hang about in the air when we don't get good consistent rains and winds make my lung problems much worse. My doc has suggested I would do better in other climates, even back east where the extreme cold kills off a lot of pollutants. Go figure.