The Brief
- Wildfire smoke from Washington, Oregon and Canada is expected to worsen air quality across western Washington through midweek.
- Health officials warn air quality could reach unhealthy levels, especially for children, older adults and people with heart or lung conditions.
- Residents are urged to monitor the Air Quality Index, limit outdoor activity when smoke is heavy and take steps to reduce indoor smoke exposure.
Washington – Western Washington residents could see deteriorating air quality over the next several days as wildfire smoke from Washington, Oregon and Canada moves into the region, prompting health officials to urge people to monitor conditions and limit smoke exposure when possible.
While much of the smoke remained higher in the atmosphere Monday, forecasters say it is expected to settle closer to the ground later in the day, leading to hazier skies and potentially unhealthy air for some communities.
Smoke expected to linger through midweek
Beth Friedman, lead air quality forecaster and modeler with the Washington Department of Ecology’s Air Quality Program, said smoke has already had widespread impacts across Central and Eastern Washington.
“That smoke from mainly regional fires in central and eastern Washington is starting to move south, and that combined with some light winds will lead to lingering smoke impacts across all of central and eastern Washington over the next few days,” Friedman said.…