Unhealthy air for all!
Yesterday turned out to be a bit more smoky in Western Washington than we anticipated. The smoky air, mostly from Canada, lingered throughout the evening and is still sticking around today. Western Washington residents should expect Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups to Unhealthy air to persist through today and into tomorrow morning. Fortunately, forecast models are showing that Wednesday afternoon should see strong enough westerly winds to clear the smoke out and bring Good to Moderate air quality into the region. There may even be a little relief as early as tonight.
Central Washington residents are not quite so lucky. We have been monitoring Unhealthy to Hazardous air quality all across the region. Residents have been hit hard with the combination of Canadian smoke plus the fires on the eastern slopes of the Cascades. Winds shouldn't bring much more Canadian smoke into the region for the next couple days, but the current smoke will likely linger and local fires will continue to impact the region. We expect Very Unhealthy air to persist in many areas across Central Washington for the next couple days, with perhaps better conditions in the southern-most counties.
Eastern Washington has also been sitting in Unhealthy air which will likely persist. Forecast models do show somewhat of a split between Northeastern and Southeastern Washington on Wednesday evening. Residents in Spokane and other parts of Northeastern Washington will probably continue to experience Unhealthy air. However, the Southeastern counties could get a little better tomorrow night, with perhaps Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air quality.
So, while Western Washington may have lucked out this time with a relatively short-lived smoke event, the rest of the state will likely continue to see smoky conditions in the foreseeable future.
Please see the Smoke and Health tab of this blog for information about what you can do to protect yourself from wildfire smoke. For those interested in purchasing indoor air purifiers, see this good NY Times article from last year entitled What to Know Before Buying an Air Purifier to Clear Wildfire Smoke.
Central Washington residents are not quite so lucky. We have been monitoring Unhealthy to Hazardous air quality all across the region. Residents have been hit hard with the combination of Canadian smoke plus the fires on the eastern slopes of the Cascades. Winds shouldn't bring much more Canadian smoke into the region for the next couple days, but the current smoke will likely linger and local fires will continue to impact the region. We expect Very Unhealthy air to persist in many areas across Central Washington for the next couple days, with perhaps better conditions in the southern-most counties.
MODIS Satellite Image for 11 am PDT (Fire locations shown in red)
(Note the huge patch of smoke over BC)
Eastern Washington has also been sitting in Unhealthy air which will likely persist. Forecast models do show somewhat of a split between Northeastern and Southeastern Washington on Wednesday evening. Residents in Spokane and other parts of Northeastern Washington will probably continue to experience Unhealthy air. However, the Southeastern counties could get a little better tomorrow night, with perhaps Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air quality.
Washington's PM2.5 (smoke) conditions (11 am - noon PDT)
Please see Current Conditions Here
So, while Western Washington may have lucked out this time with a relatively short-lived smoke event, the rest of the state will likely continue to see smoky conditions in the foreseeable future.
Please see the Smoke and Health tab of this blog for information about what you can do to protect yourself from wildfire smoke. For those interested in purchasing indoor air purifiers, see this good NY Times article from last year entitled What to Know Before Buying an Air Purifier to Clear Wildfire Smoke.
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