A night and a day of rain on much of the region cleared the air in two senses: removing the smoke and lessening the fire danger.
Progress on the region's largest fire, Chetco Bar, prompted the lifting of all evacuation orders in Curry County, effective at Noon Monday (September 18th). Acreage burned by the fire increased very little, and containment jumped to 53% by Monday afternoon.
Crater Lake National Park, where the High Cascades complex of fires continues to burn, saw some snowfall during the day. Other areas in the mountains showed light snowfall on radar, generally mixed with rain.
The precipitation makes for easier firefighting, but not the end of it. Fire crews will be needed for several more weeks in both Oregonand California, and warmer, drier weather is expected by next weekend. But several restrictions on campfires and industrial activities were reduced in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
Air quality is the big winner with the precipitation. Air quality indices all measured "good" on the Oregon side, with only two places in California--Weitchpec and Anderson--showing "moderate." Air quality in several locations slid back to "unhealthy" over the weekend before the rains came.
