Ongoing Smoke Impacts Near Active Fires

Air quality across the state continues to gradually improve, with the main exception being areas closest to active fires. Fire behavior has also eased thanks to cooler and wetter conditions, although fire activity is expected to remain active for the Lower Sugarloaf and Labor Mountain Fires in the East Cascades and the Crown Creek, Lynx Mountain, Katy Creek, Rattlesnake, and Tacoma Creek Fires in Northeast WA. Fire activity for the Wildcat Fire east of Mount Rainier is expected to decrease. The Bear Gulch Fire near Lake Cushman is also expected to remain active, although growth has been minimal over recent days. In general, communities closest to active fires should expect intermittent to persistent smoke impacts as long as those fires burn. Air Quality Alerts remain in Chelan, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille Counties.

The map at the top of this page includes a toggle to show daily zonal smoke forecasts. More localized forecasts for areas closest to active fires are also available by clicking on the forecast boxes on the map or check out the local outlooks tab on the blog.

The updated plot below looking at the total number of USG or worse days measured at monitoring sites during this smoke event underscores how difficult it has been to fully escape the smoke, especially in Central and Eastern WA.

Total number of USG or worse days measured at monitoring sites during this smoke event. Note that this does not include temporary monitors or low-cost sensors.

Cooler temperatures and scattered showers are beneficial to further improvements in air quality and reduced fire behavior, although no widespread wetting rain is expected in the near term. Looking ahead, we'll keep an eye on fire activity and the potential return of warmer and drier weather into next week. For now, enjoy the much-improved air quality.