Nebraska officials kicking off use of smoke alert system for this year
Prescribed burning and wildfires can combine to adversely affect air quality
By News Channel NebraskaLINCOLN – Nebraska's Smoke Advisory System has been activated for this year.
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services officials began implementing the public smoke advisory system in 2018. Smoke advisories will be issued when it’s likely that the smoke from prescribed burning or wildfires could significantly affect air quality in parts of the state.
The prescribed burning season is underway in Kansas, Oklahoma and other states in the region, including Nebraska. Smoke from wildfires in the west and Canada, which have occurred often in the recent past, also can compromise the air quality in Nebraska.
Impacts on air quality can vary based on the type, size, and location of fires. Impacts may only last a few hours but smoke can be persistent over consecutive days.
Advisories will be based on data provided by multiple sources in the region including the National Weather Service, as well as smoke plume modeling and data from air quality monitors located in Omaha, Bellevue, Lincoln, Beatrice, Grand Island, and Scottsbluff.