Lingering Smoke Clears as New Smoke Plumes Take Shape

Air Quality Alerts

Air Quality Alerts (AQAs) in Washington were expanded today due to current conditions.  The map below shows all AQAs currently in effect.  AQAs in the Vancouver/Portland area are due to lingering haze and expected ozone today.  AQAs in Eastern and Central Washington cover most of the region due to wildfire smoke, and will be reassessed on Friday morning.

Air Quality Alerts continued (dark grey) and new (light grey) with fire locations in orange. 
Also shown are Red Flag Warnings (pink) and AirNow PM2.5 AQI markers (1 pm PDT).

Forecasted Conditions

It's a mixed bag of modest clearing coupled with new smoke plumes developing today.  The extreme heat is leading to fire growth in many areas, as satellite imagery shows new plumes emerging from fires in the Cascades.  Meanwhile, the fires in the Colville Reservation and in Oregon continue to produce large swaths of smoke.  We expect cooling and some moisture west of the Cascades in the next few days, which will also help clear the air.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast also calls for more lightning, which could lead to more fire ignitions.  Furthermore, the Columbia Basin will continue to see extreme heat and fire activity across the region will continue.  

Given the current situation, we expect significant smoke to be especially problematic around the Colville Reservation.  The Kaiser Canyon fire has burnt over 80,000 acres and will continue to grow as critical fire weather continues.  The Modrite fire isn't growing as large (9,000 acres), but is still producing large amounts of smoke today.  A new Air Resource Advisor has been assigned to the area, offering smoke outlooks for Northeastern Washington.

There are several smaller fires around Ross Lake, on both sides of the Canadian border.  While these fires don't pose much of an immediate threat to populated communities, their location will make it difficult to manage these fires, and significant growth is expected.  This means residents near the North Cascades should expect intermittent smoke impacts from these fires.  The Little Giant fire (north of Lake Wenatchee) is also on the smaller side, but its location is concerning for residents of Chelan and Douglas counties.  Smoke has increased in Plain, Entiat, Wenatchee, etc. and while there is expected clearing tomorrow, the fire will also grow and produce more smoke.

Wrap Up

It's looking like it's going to be one of those years again, where Eastern and Central Washington are hit by smoke events continuously throughout the summer.  We are on pace to have one of the worst wildfire seasons across the region in recent history.  So, while long-term forecasts are always uncertain, there's no doubt that smoke events will be a regularly recurring theme this year.  Plan ahead, stay up to date, and find clean air where you can!

GOES animation from AerosolWatch - July 22, 2026 (12 pm to 3 pm).