Wildfires continue to burn across eastern Washington, and the smoke they produce has become a dangerous secondary threat: poor air quality.
Wildfires continue to burn across eastern Washington, and the smoke they produce has become a dangerous secondary threat: poor air quality.
Air quality alerts have persisted for weeks in parts of eastern Washington and may expand into western Washington as the wind pattern shifts.
As of Monday morning, unhealthy air lingered around Spokane, Colville, Omak, Chelan, Orondo, Entiat, Winthrop, and Twisp. Smoke was also spreading across Wenatchee, Ellensburg, and even over Mount Rainier, where hazy skies were becoming more noticeable.
An extended period of northerly to northeasterly winds will gradually transport more smoke into western Washington through the middle of the week. Where is it coming from?
Wildfires over the north Washington Cascades, Okanogan and Chelan counties, other parts of the state and British Columbia. We're already seeing a hazy Monday morning sunrise, and that haze is expected to slowly increase.
Smoke will likely become more noticeable across the South Sound and Chehalis Valley Monday, before spreading into more Seattle neighborhoods on Tuesday and Wednesday.
At the same time, temperatures will continue climbing.
The combination of hotter weather and increasing wildfire smoke may make it feel especially uncomfortable, particularly for those without air conditioning or anyone spending extended time outdoors. Sensitive groups may notice the greatest impacts if air quality deteriorates.
The heat is expected to peak around Wednesday and Thursday before cooler Pacific air returns later this week. That onshore push should gradually improve air quality across western Washington, although it could also increase winds east of the Cascades and create additional challenges for firefighters.
