Though weather conditions have shifted a bit for the Pacific Northwest, with cooler temperatures and more on-shore winds, smoke continues to linger in areas of Western Washington.
Pockets of smoke affected many communities in ORCAA’s region this morning (Friday) with air monitoring stations throughout ORCAA’s six counties showing air pollution rising into the Moderate (Thurston and Mason Counties), Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (Grays Harbor, Jefferson and parts of Clallam Counties), and even Unhealthy (Port Angeles). This latest pollution seems to be a mixture of smoke still lingering in the area, as well as new smoke mixing in from fires on Vancouver Island and northern British Columbia mainland. Current Air Quality conditions can be viewed here: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/
The National Weather Service has lifted the general Air Quality Alert for western Washington, but NWS, ORCAA, and other state and local clean air agencies continue to monitor the situation. In the meantime, the Washington DOH offers detailed information on how residents can best deal with smoke impacts on their homes and communities. That information can be found here: https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/SmokeFromFires.
