The Department of Ecology issued a statewide air quality alert yesterday, which continues through the weekend. Smoke from many fires across the region is impacting our state. Please keep in mind we are unable to answer the large volume of questions posted in the comments on this blog, but will do our best. Forecast information for your region is available on the Smoke Forecast Map. The forecast map attempts to predict a 24-hour daily average, but only for locations that have a regional monitor. Air quality monitor maps are the best source for assessing current conditions (e.g. the map at the top of this blog, EPA's AirNow page, or the Ecology WAQA page). With such a large area experiencing poor air quality, it's best for people to stay indoors. See yesterday's blog post Wildfire Smoke & COVID-19 for information on how to protect your health.
Calmer winds and hazy skies helped to keep large fire growth moderated yesterday and allowed for fire-fighting progress in Washington. However, the Big Hollow fire in Southwest Washington still has active fire behavior with no containment.
Today's GOES image (below) shows that the extent of smoke currently covers most of Western Washington and parts of Central Washington. Smoke is expected to continue its path across the state, impacting Eastern Washington later today. Overall, air quality is expected to slowly start getting better, from West to East, on Sunday.
Hi! Thank you for all of your work in sharing information about wildfire smoke and its impacts in WA. You link air quality maps in this post (EPA AirNow, WA Ecology's, and the map at the top of your page)--the WA Ecology map shows considerably worse air quality than the other two maps, updated at similar times. What's up with the discrepancy?
ReplyDeleteEPA uses its own air quality reporting system called the Air Quality Index (AQI), as shown on this blog. Both use color-coded categories to show when air quality is good, moderate, or unhealthy. The state's WAQA is based on lower levels of fine particle pollution than the federal AQI.
DeleteSee this image for the comparison of WAQA and AQI: http://bentoncleanair.org/uploads/images/waqa_and_aqi.jpg
DeleteGood Day,
ReplyDeleteI was hoping you could answer a question I had. My central AC does not have a recerculate option nor does it have any filters. I have an indoor air purifier with a HEPA filter, though. Would this set-up be safe enough to run my central AC? Thanks much.
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt, so running the central AC brings in smoke from outside to the whole house but the indoor air purifiers (hopefully one that doesnt generate ozone) only clean a small area, typically one room. Anyway temperatures have dropped today (further cooled by a smoke layer aloft) so hopefully there is little need to run the AC?
DeletePlease correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there is a misunderstanding that home AC systems (central or room ACs) have a "recirculate" mode.
DeleteThese systems generally only recirculate home air without needing a special mode. Central AC air intakes ("return air" grills) are inside the home and recirculate the air within the home through the system to cool it. Room ACs (split units or window units) also draw in air from within the room to cool it and recirculate it in the room.
Additionally, Matt, I would be surprised if your system didn't have a filter. All systems should have a filter but some may be harder to locate than others. I'd suggest finding the documentation for your system or contacting an HVAC technician.
Both the EPA AirNow and WA Dept. of Ecology smoke forecast maps available online now show that the air quality in the Seattle area is expected to be better tomorrow than it is today. Is that true? That forecast is different than forecasted in this blog and in the comment sections.
DeleteYes, it would be silly to not recirculate the air as a rule, it takes a lot more energy to cool external air at 85+ to 70 than to cool the internal air at 75 to 70. They take in some air in the name of freshness, but the majority of the air is recirculated.
DeleteSorry to bug with this, but I was just hoping I could confirm the current forcast, for the Bellevue area. As far as I understand, things are expected to get worse tommorow and there will be one final "push" of smoke Sunday, before things hopefully begin to clear out towards Sunday evening. Would that be fair to say?
ReplyDeleteYes, slow clearing on Sunday
DeleteIt appears that the Yelm AQ station always reads lower particulate value than surrounding AQ stations - Lacey/College Street for instance. Is this a local anomaly due to where Yelm is located (vis a vis topography or different meteorological zone), malfunctioning equipment, or something else?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are using the Ecology WAQA map. Make sure to click "PM2.5" for smoke-related measurements. The Yelm monitor is for ozone which is currently "good".
DeleteHello, thank you for all the details on smoke forecast it has been useful for our upcoming trip. We plan to run the Enchanments next Wednesday. Any idea on what the long range smoke forecast looks like for Leavenworth next week? Thanks again, hope everyone is staying safe. - Nathan
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteCan I ask for any information on the forecast for Mt Baker Hwy area? The Maple Falls sensor shows good to moderate air quality but everything else nearby is unhealthy and appears to be getting worse. Would you recommend avoiding being outside in this area this weekend?
Expect it to get progressively worse throughout today and tomorrow. Limiting outdoor exposure to smoke is recommended when air quality reaches USG or worse. You may not smell smoke if it is aged and mixed with marine air. So, visibility and air quality monitors are more reliable indicators.
DeleteWe were there today. You can see the smoke in the distance but overall it was clear. By the time you reached Artist point, the view was spectacular...even in a haze.
DeleteThank you so much for this blog! It's very useful.
ReplyDeleteWe live on the Olympic Peninsula, outside of Port Angeles. If we get the forecasted fog tonight, how could that affect our smokey air quality?
Fog usually helps a little with dispersion, but the surrounding air it will entrain is still smoky so might not do you much good
DeleteThank you for your work and this blog! My question is - do you a prediction for the AQI for 3000-6000' west of Snoqualmie pass and east of North Bend for tomorrow (Sat)? Currently the map indicates moderate. Is that at surface level?
ReplyDeleteAll forecasts are at surface level. Could be worse at those elevations because you're closer to the plume aloft. Models are putting a lot of smoke over the mountains
DeleteFirst let me say thanks for all you do, been coming here for the past few years for information about smoke in Washington! I was just wondering though, why is it that the air quality in Yakima (especially the upper Yakima Valley) has been so moderate? I’m not complaining whatsoever, it’s just that with all the fires around us and with the air quality alert the past couple days I’ve been expecting it to be worse than it has. Any chance we’ll continue to have this moderate air quality through the weekend? Or is that giant plume just making it’s way here much slower than expected?
ReplyDeleteKinda a side question too, if you have the time to answer: how does the geography of the Yakima Valley affect the weather here? i understand the rainshadow, I’m wondering more about the wind. I’ve tried googling it before, but I mainly get answers about Eastern Washington and the Columbia basin in general, not just the upper and lower Yakima Valleys.
No worries If you’re too busy because of all the smoke and fire forecasts to answer though!
Greetings. I'm currently in a hotel near the Seattle area. Would it be safe for me to run the AC, to help clear out some of the humidity and stickiness? Thank You.
ReplyDeleteEvery AC is different (such as if it will bring in outside air or not), I would check in with your hotel or consult with the manual, if available. If it will bring in the outside smoky air, set to recirculate.
DeleteGot it. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have an outdoor drive in movie event scheduled for tomorrow evening. Are there any recommendations about whether or not this is a safe idea to move forward on?
ReplyDeleteI don't know your location but air quality is expected to be poor across the state tomorrow evening. It's probably best to reschedule the event.
DeleteHeading to Port Townsend on Monday. How are things looking for Monday and next week?
ReplyDeleteI think we are all hoping for the best with the expected low pressure system approaching the coast on Sunday. We are really hoping for some clearing then and Port Townsend should see ventilation. By late Monday, though, there's another push of air from Oregon. The good news is it's moist air, so fire activity will could be minimal. Cross your fingers!
DeleteThank you!!
DeleteThanks for the info, guys. Appreciate your patience and diligence.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the best practices to keep air in one's home free of smoke. My AC does have a thick filter and does recirculate - is it helpful to run it? Should I use window fans to push the air out of the house?
ReplyDeleteKeep your windows and doors closed. You can't "push" air out of the house because outdoor air will be pulled in. You may notice one room start to get more smoky than others, so try to find the leak or close off that room if possible. Running an indoor air filter for a room can work well at full blast. Running AC may not have any affect on smoke, but is fine on recirculate. Please see the Health Information page on this blog for other tips.
DeleteThanks for this great resource! What's the smoke forecast for the San Juan islands tomrrow and Sunday? It's been hard to find info.
ReplyDeletehttps://enviwa.ecology.wa.gov/home/text/421
DeleteWe live in Spokane and have a trip planned to Seattle the 13-19th. Wondering if the smoke will be heading East and we’d be better off going to Seattle as planned Sunday or if we’d be better off staying in Spokane? Thanks for this great resource!
ReplyDeleteYes, good strategy. As the smoke heads east, you head west (i.e exchange places, play cat and mouse with it, dodge the raindrops... however you like to describe it)
DeleteI’ve seen the explanation of WAQA (usually lower) compared to AQI. Thank you - that is helpful, but I have one reading that is much, much higher than AQI and I’m wondering where the heck this number is coming from.
ReplyDeleteRidgefield, WA
AQICN.org - 312
PurpleAir.com - 307
IQAir.com - 254
iOS - 279
Wunderground.com - 533 !!!!
Any ideas about the huge discrepancy from Wunderground?
It seems like you could be using low-cost sensor network information, which can be problematic. I'm not sure about all your sources, but I do know that sites may not update at the same time. For example, the hourly average calculations post to WAQA at about 15 minutes after the hour, but it may not show up for another ten minutes (or more) on other sites.
DeletePortland - Sauvie Island monitor is the nearest stationary monitor to that area, currently reading AQI of 213 which would be about WAQA 320 if I'm doing that right. You can use the Vancouver NE 84th Ave monitor if you want to see WAQA vs AQI in your region.
DeleteRidgefield doesnt have a state- operated sensor, so different sites either source data from the nearest monitor (could be a low-cost sensor), or interpolate from a different set of monitors. All these sources use their own averaging periods (some as short as a few minutes) as opposed to EPA's & WAQA's NowCast method. Some translate sensor data using a correction factor (PurpleAir doesnt by default, IQAir does but there is a lot of machine learning and interpolation). Wunderground uses PurpleAir, and if you look right now the dominant pollutant is listed as PM10, and that is the AQI you're seeing. The concurrent PM2.5 AQI is listed as 294, narrowing the discrepancy.
DeleteBox fans and MERV 13 filters are all sold out. I have a fan and diffuser. Would using the diffuser with some essential oils, like tea tree, help purify the air or just mask it?
ReplyDeleteHi Bri, essential oils do not purify the air and will not get ride of the harmful components in smoke (this requires air filtration). This would actually add to indoor air pollution, which we recommend avoiding when the air quality is poor. Visit the health tab for other ways to protect yourself besides a DIY box fan.
DeleteI purchased 1500 MPR filter which is equivalent to a MERV 12. The box shows it helps with smoke. I say anything helps! Grab em if they're available.
DeleteThose big filters will actually hinder the air filtration and slow down how much air can be sucked out of your house. Better to just go with a normal air filter.
DeleteTri Cities just turned ugly today. How long can Eastern Washington expect the cover to last. I know SW winds are the norm, so it looks like NW Oregon will be a problem for us.
ReplyDeleteThank you both!
ReplyDeleteLow-cost sensor is probably the missing piece.
Lots of learning going on today 😊
here in port Townsend wa.and getting worse. went outside and can smell it and affecting my eyes. gonna stay inside till it blows over.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteTomorrow I was going to make a drive from Spokane to Seattle. With the air quality ranging from unhealthy to hazardous, will operating a vehicle for this 4-hour drive be risky to my health? I have no underlying conditions but I'm generally curious about a car enduring that length of a trip and bad conditions. Thanks
-James
Hi here in Kennewick washington. With the air contamination being over 800 here shouldn't there be some guidelines on whether people should even be in this city? Or what to do to protect children? Or if we even can at this point? I see tons of charts showing the pollution but nothing on what we should do here when it's as bad as it is. We can't even seem to keep it out of our house
ReplyDeleteThis blog contains several links to steps for protecting your health at different pollution levels. Look at the "Health Information" tab
DeleteRichland,WA monitors seem to be on the fritz, or whoever is checking them isn’t noticing the aqi must be way higher than “good” cause they’re only mentioning ozone of ~30 and it’s smokey and a bit disorienting stepping outside
ReplyDeleteThere are a total of 4 monitors in the area (2 in Kennewick, one each in Burbank & Mesa). They measure ozone, PM2.5 (aka smoke) and PM10 (aka dust). The smoke readings are very high, ozone is always low at night (at the time you wrote).
DeleteHi. We live in Moses lake, Washington. The smoke is seemingly getting worse and coming into our home, my fiance has COPD, lung disease, and pneumonia, and we have small animals, what is the best way to keep them breathing safely inside or home?
ReplyDeleteI have a ductless system. Is it harmful as far as indoor air quality to run this with visible smoke outside my home?
ReplyDeleteI also am in the Tricities with multiple health issues that this is really messing with. I have a smoke smell in my apartment from it coming in through cracks and gaps. But I did the box fan and filter trick and I also figure that it's probably still safer to stay inside as recommended until the numbers come down..... eventually. Still less smoke inside than outside in my opinion. I do have a couple of desk fans circulating the air but with no filters on them. Strictly cooling comfort. I can breathe without wheezing.
ReplyDeleteAlso thankful for this blog and all the information it is giving out.
A similar question to the one posted on 9/11 at 11:30am: Over the last few days into today, the Mt Rainier monitor has continued to show good to moderate air quality (such at 60 yesterday and 42 today). Is this because that monitor measures only ozone (O3) and not the smoke-related particles? Or is there another setting online to see smoke-related particles at Mt Rainier. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteJust want to say thank you thank you for your service. Knowledge is power during this frightening event and I greatly appreciate the information you are sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhy is the WAQA reading in the low 300's for Port Townsend consistently higher than EPA's AirNow AQI reading (in the low 200's) when both are using the same San Juan Port Townsend site?
ReplyDelete