Fall begins but wildfire season continues

Rainfall over the weekend provided some short-term relief from the smoke, but strong winds fueled fire growth in the Cascades. The Labor Mountain Fire north of Cle Elum especially exhibited extreme fire behavior as it pushed east, and an Air Quality Alert is in effect in Chelan and Douglas Counties until further notice. 

MODIS-Terra imagery 11am September 22, 2025 showing smoke plumes and active wildfires throughout the state.

Today will be cooler with calmer winds, which will help to moderate conditions, but warm and dry weather returns Tuesday through midweek. 

Light offshore flow Tuesday will briefly transport smoke into Western Washington before onshore winds return Wednesday. Air quality will likely be moderate with the potential for periods of USG. The forecast below (valid tomorrow evening) illustrates expected smoke transport into Puget Sound and surface-level impacts.

Cross-section forecast from the HRRR smoke model, valid at 6pm Tuesday.

Fire Roundup

• Olympics (Bear Gulch and Tunnel Creek): This weekend's rain tempered fire behavior temporarily, but we're still waiting for that large rain event to fully diminish fire activity. With warmer, drier weather ahead, smoke will increase. Communities around Lake Cushman and Hoodsport should expect continued smoke, especially overnight and into the early mornings. We're also monitoring potential smoke impacts in the Puget Sound later this week. 
• Cascades: The Labor Mountain, Lower Sugarloaf, and Wildcat Fires continue to grow and generate smoke. These fires also received limited rain over the weekend, and will continue to produce smoke with the upcoming warm and dry weather. Smoke will continue to funnel into valley communities, with elevated concentrations overnight and into the mornings. Areas east of Cle Elum along I-90 to Ellensburg will also observe intermittent smoke due to the recent growth of the Labor Mountain Fire.
• Northeast WA (Lynx Mountain, Crown Creek, Katy Creek, Tacoma Creek, Rattlesnake): Persistent smoke continues to impact nearby communities and will continue to do so until significant rain arrives.

When will it rain?

Unfortunately, the end of the month is trending drier than hoped for. The next chance for rain appears to be early next week, but this is still fairly uncertain. Gusty winds Thursday and Friday in Eastern WA could also further intensity fire activity and increase smoke production.

Dynamic smoke impacts over the weekend

This weekend featured some interesting smoke dynamics. On Friday, smoke from the Bear Gulch fire impacted Mason and Thurston Counties, but impacts varied widely depending on location, even within the same city. While Shelton was experiencing very unhealthy air quality, Lacey only reached moderate levels. Even within Olympia, conditions differed: West Olympia saw unhealthy air quality, while downtown and in East Olympia concentrations were noticeably lower. 

PM2.5 concentrations from monitors in Lacey and Shelton as well as low cost sensors in Olympia.

In Wenatchee, monitors within 5 miles of one another also recorded drastically different PM2.5 concentrations at the same time as dynamic winds moved smoke through the area yesterday. 

PM2.5 concentrations measured in Wenatchee Sept. 21.