Wildfire smoke from dozens of large fires burning across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana has blanketed the Pacific Northwest, pushing air quality to unhealthy and hazardous levels across a wide swath of the region. Air Quality Alerts are in effect through at least Monday, August 3, with conditions forecast to persist or worsen as fires continue to burn under critical weather conditions.

Current Conditions

The worst air quality is concentrated in eastern Washington and eastern Oregon, downwind of the region's most active fires. Cities including Spokane, Yakima, Pendleton, Bend, and the Tri-Cities area have recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) readings in the Unhealthy to Hazardous range for sensitive groups and the general public.

Western Washington, including the Seattle metro area, is also experiencing degraded air quality as smoke drifts west of the Cascades. Meteorologists at the Emerald City Weather Blog noted that it will be difficult to find any relief across the Pacific Northwest in the coming days, with even coastal areas seeing some smoke influence.

The smoke is expected to remain lofted at altitude in some areas, mixing closer to the ground overnight and during cooler morning hours when atmospheric mixing decreases — a phenomenon that can cause unexpectedly poor local air quality even at locations far from active fires.

Health Precautions

The fine particle pollution (PM2.5) in wildfire smoke poses serious health risks, particularly for:

  • Children and infants
  • Elderly individuals
  • People with asthma, COPD, heart disease, or other respiratory or cardiovascular conditions
  • Pregnant women
  • Anyone exercising outdoors

Health officials recommend the following precautions when air quality is in the Unhealthy range or above:

  • Stay indoors with windows and doors closed
  • Use air conditioning if available, set to recirculate indoor air
  • Run air purifiers with HEPA filters
  • Wear a properly fitted N95 or P100 respirator if you must be outdoors
  • Avoid strenuous outdoor activity
  • Check AQI before going outside at airnow.gov

Smoke Reaches Beyond the Northwest

Smoke from Pacific Northwest wildfires is not staying regional. Upper-level atmospheric transport is carrying wildfire smoke eastward, with air quality impacts expected as far as Ohio and Michigan later this week. Satellite imagery shows a broad smoke plume covering much of the western United States and extending into the central and eastern portions of the country.

When Will It Clear?

No significant rain is forecast for the fire-affected areas of eastern Washington and Oregon in the near term. Relief from smoke will depend primarily on wind shifts and fire suppression progress. Residents should plan for continued poor air quality through at least mid-week and monitor airnow.gov and local NWS forecasts for updates.