9/1/2022 Statewide smoke update - More heat and smoke expected

Air quality has deteriorated the past few days in North and Central Washington, with especially active new fire development in the Cascades.  The Wenatchee region and Methow Valley have had the worst air quality lately, with fresh smoke pooling in valleys.  There is also fresh fire activity in NorthEast Washington, with visible smoke North of Spokane.  In general, it should be windy enough this weekend to prevent any long-term build-up of smoke, but smoke impacts will continue to be a problem.

PM2.5 Measurements at Maple Falls, Twisp, Leavenworth, and Wenatchee

Late Friday into Saturday will bring breezy winds, with possible mountain thunderstorms, and the potential for fire spread. Hot, dry conditions will set up ahead of the winds, with Friday set for near-record heat. Temperatures will cool a little over the weekend, but remain above normal.   The expected dynamic weather expected this weekend will give rise to dynamic smoke impacts.  Recently active fire locations are shown below:

Recent fire locations in and around Washington State

Smoke forecasts are not confident during these periods of dynamic weather and new emerging fire growth.  Looking at one member of the Dept. of Ecology HYSPLIT forecasts, we see a few key features that have reasonable confidence:

• Smoke in Central WA should mostly clear out on Friday, but Saturday will bring Moderate to Unhealthy smoke back to the Methow Valley and Wenatchee areas.  Winds should disperse any lingering smoke, but expect to keep smelling smoke on the following days.
• Smoke on Friday in SouthEast WA (e.g. Asotin, Garfield, Columbia, Walla Walla counties) is expected from the fires in the Blue Mountains, this should mostly clear out on Saturday though.
• Inland Western Washington will likely get some lingering smoke from the Cascade fires on Monday, pooling smoke in mountain valleys.  Winds should push that smoke back east though, and shouldn't last long.

HYSPLIT Forecast of Smoke for Labor Day Weekend

The 5-day forecasts available on the Smoke Blog map are automatically updated based on multiple smoke forecasts.  Expect changes in predictions as weather forecasts and new fire locations get ingested into nightly simulations.

You can find resources on how to protect yourself from smoke impacts on the Health Resources tab.