Statewide Air Quality Alert Through Weekend
The Department of Ecology issued a statewide air quality alert yesterday, which continues through the weekend. Smoke from many fires across the region is impacting our state. Please keep in mind we are unable to answer the large volume of questions posted in the comments on this blog, but will do our best. Forecast information for your region is available on the Smoke Forecast Map. The forecast map attempts to predict a 24-hour daily average, but only for locations that have a regional monitor. Air quality monitor maps are the best source for assessing current conditions (e.g. the map at the top of this blog, EPA's AirNow page, or the Ecology WAQA page). With such a large area experiencing poor air quality, it's best for people to stay indoors. See yesterday's blog post Wildfire Smoke & COVID-19 for information on how to protect your health.
Calmer winds and hazy skies helped to keep large fire growth moderated yesterday and allowed for fire-fighting progress in Washington. However, the Big Hollow fire in Southwest Washington still has active fire behavior with no containment.
Today's GOES image (below) shows that the extent of smoke currently covers most of Western Washington and parts of Central Washington. Smoke is expected to continue its path across the state, impacting Eastern Washington later today. Overall, air quality is expected to slowly start getting better, from West to East, on Sunday.
0 Response to "Statewide Air Quality Alert Through Weekend"
Post a Comment