Canadian wildfire smoke could return early next week

Canadian wildfire smoke could return early next week

Western Washington air quality took a hit this week as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, and though the weekend looks like the air should be clear, the smoke will likely return early next week.

Weather conditions on Sunday could bring that wildfire smoke back into Western Washington. All  six of ORCAA’s counties — Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston – could see higher levels of air pollution by Sunday afternoon or evening. Since the Grays Harbor Air Monitoring station remains off-line due to technical issues, residents there should refer to the Pacific County data.

Some of the communities in Clallam and Jefferson Counties could see increasing smoke impacts by Saturday evening, due to their proximity to the Hamma Hamma Wildfire burning just west of Hood Canal.

By early in the week, the Canadian smoke could push air quality across Western Washington into the Moderate and even Unhealthy ranges on the Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) chart.

The Washington Department of Health offers detailed information on how residents can best deal with smoke impacts on their homes and communities. That information can be found here: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/.

ORCAA will continue to monitor the impacts from this smoke event and will report any changes that further threaten public health.

Washington’s complete network of Air Monitoring Stations — including those managed and maintained by ORCAA — can be found on the Department of Ecology’s website: https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/SmokeFromFires.

Additional information on wildfires and smoke from wildfires is available at http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Satellite Images of Smoke on Aug. 15, 2018

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