9/9/2022 East Wind Event Ongoing: Friday and Saturday See Peak Fire Danger

First critical fire weather event of 2022 for western Washington

Fire danger is peaking this weekend across most of Washington, with a critical East Wind event taking shape across the Pacific Northwest. After a week of high fire danger east of the Cascades, western Washington is experiencing widespread critical fire weather today, and conditions will remain critical through tomorrow evening. Relative humidity values across the state will drop into the 15-25% range, with sustained winds of 15-25mph common both east and west of the Cascades. The highest wind gusts will be in the Columbia Gorge and through the Cascade Passes, where isolated gusts of 40-50mph are possible. As active fires continue to burn and new fires emerge, heed local emergency official's orders about evacuations and remain vigilant! 

Active fires producing smoke for much of the state

A northwesterly wind brought smoke and hazardous air quality to the Methow Valley and Lake Chelan from the Chilliwack and Pasayten Complexes in the North Cascades. This morning, a shift in the winds from the northwest to the northeast have redirected smoke from these fires to the west side of the Cascades, with Whatcom and Skagit Counties seeing the most immediate impacts. As the East Wind event continues to unfold, smoke will work southward toward King County and the rest of the south Sound region. Smoke from fires in eastern Washington, Idaho, and Montana will drift toward the Columbia Basin and east slopes of the Cascades.

 

Air quality impacts expected for the Puget Sound region and eastern Washington

Conditions have improved from Hazardous to Moderate for the Methow Valley and Lake Chelan area this morning, and will continue remain steady for the next 24-48 hours. Air quality is currently Unhealthy for the Wenatchee Valley and along the Skagit River. Moderate air quality is observed over much of the Columbia Basin this morning, and will likely deteriorate slightly over the next 24-48 hours as smoke from fires in Idaho and Montana continues to stream westward. 

Air quality in the Puget Lowlands is generally good this morning, but signs of degradation are present in Whatcom and Skagit counties. Air quality will deteriorate across the west side of the state through this afternoon and tonight as smoke from the fires in the North Cascades continues to pour over the crest of the mountains. Any new fires that develop over the next 24 hours will impact air quality significantly, so it is important to continually monitor your local air quality and take precautions based on the figure below!

Air Quality Index
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DNR Wildland Fire Meteorologist Matthew Dehr