A new air quality review published by the Washington State Department of Ecology confirms what many residents already experienced firsthand: the 2026 wildfire season was among the smokiest on record for much of Washington State. Looking back at air monitoring data through the fall, most areas of the state experienced at least one day of air quality that was "unhealthy for sensitive groups" (USG) or worse during the summer fire season.

Where Smoke Hit Hardest

Central and Northeast Washington bore the heaviest smoke burden of any region in the state, largely due to proximity to the season's largest fires in the Cascades and Okanogan Highlands. Chelan and Okanogan counties saw the most prolonged and extreme smoke impacts — with several counties recording their highest number of smoke-impacted days in more than 20 years.

The smoke plume from the Little Giant Fire in Chelan County became one of the most-watched air quality events of the summer, blanketing communities along the Columbia River corridor for multiple consecutive days.

Coastal areas, however, were the main exception. Much of western Washington's coastline largely avoided unhealthy air quality periods, benefiting from marine air flow and distance from interior fire activity.

Understanding the Air Quality Index

The Air Quality Index (AQI) uses six color-coded categories to communicate health risk:

  • Green (0–50): Good — Air quality is satisfactory
  • Yellow (51–100): Moderate — Acceptable for most; some risk for unusually sensitive people
  • Orange (101–150): Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) — Older adults, children, people with heart or lung disease should limit prolonged outdoor exertion
  • Red (151–200): Unhealthy — Everyone may experience health effects
  • Purple (201–300): Very Unhealthy — Health alert; everyone should limit outdoor activity
  • Maroon (301+): Hazardous — Emergency conditions

During the 2026 season's worst episodes, several Eastern Washington monitoring stations recorded Purple and Maroon readings for multiple consecutive days.

Prescribed Burn Season Now Starting

With the active wildfire season winding down and air quality improving, Washington's Department of Natural Resources has begun its fall prescribed burn program. Prescribed burns, though they temporarily increase localized smoke, are a critical tool for reducing future catastrophic wildfire risk by treating heavy fuel accumulations.

Recent prescribed burns include the Camas Meadows burn completed in September. Additional burns are planned across the Methow Valley near Winthrop and in Yakima County in the coming weeks.

Residents can monitor upcoming prescribed burns and sign up for notifications through the DNR Burn Portal at burnportal.dnr.wa.gov. Real-time air quality data is available through the Washington Ecology air quality map at airqualitymap.ecology.wa.gov.

Protecting Your Health During Smoke Events

During smoke events from either wildfires or prescribed burns:

  • Keep doors and windows closed; use air conditioning set to recirculate if available
  • Use HEPA air purifiers indoors when AQI reaches the Orange range or higher
  • Avoid strenuous outdoor exercise on smoky days
  • Wear a well-fitted N95 or P100 respirator if you must be outside during heavy smoke
  • Check airnow.gov or airqualitymap.ecology.wa.gov before outdoor activities

The Washington Smoke Blog (wasmoke.blogspot.com) will resume seasonal coverage when the 2027 fire season begins.