Health Officials Warn of Dangerous Air in Washington and Oregon

I stepped out on my deck yesterday and thought I was getting sick, but I realized it was actually due to the poor air quality.

Wildfire Season Sends Air Quality in Washington and Oregon to ‘Unhealthy’ Levels

According to ecology.wa.gov, one of the key contributors to our degraded air quality in Washington is wildfire smoke, which the Washington Department of Ecology describes it as the “largest source of particle pollution” in the state.

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As we get into October and the cooler weather, you'd think the smoke would've cleared out by now, but both Washington State and Oregon are experiencing poor air quality right now.

Smoke from fires in Oregon, northern California, and British Columbia are drifting into Washington, complicating our local air quality, and that's why breathing in air right now might not be the best thing for your lungs this week.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) routinely issues air quality advisories in counties affected by smoke, noting that smoke from multiple regional fires can lead to degraded air quality for days.

Why You Might Want to Skip That Jog Today — Washington’s Air Quality Is Tanking

The Washington Smoke Blog (which tracks real‐time smoke and air quality) reports that even in “less affected” zones like the Tri-Cities or Spokane, conditions often land in the “Moderate” category, with pockets of unhealthy to very unhealthy reported in drainages and fire-adjacent areas.

The statewide AirNow page for Oregon notes that “Wildfire smoke is impacting air quality in multiple states.”

Health officials are advising folks to stay inside, especially if you live near where the wildfires have wreaked the most havoc this summer - hopefully, the air quality will get better over the next few weeks.

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