Smoke Conditions Remain Challenging as Fires Intensify

Eastern Washington continues to experience impaired air quality, especially in the Spokane area and across Northeast Washington. Current smoke impacts are mainly due to the Kaiser Canyon Fire (currently ~62,000 acres) and the Modrite Fire (currently ~6,000 acres); both fires grew substantially over the weekend. Containment progress has been made on the Lyons Ferry and Royal Lake Fires and smoke impacts from those fires should be minimal going forward. 

Active fires on the landscape; satellite image from 7/19/2026

Air Quality Alerts have been issued for Ferry, Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane and Stevens Counties through Wednesday at 9am. 

UPDATE 1:40pm: Additional Air Quality Alerts have been issued for Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla Counties through Wednesday at 9am. 

Outlook: today and tomorrow

Expect continued impaired air quality in communities closest to active fires. In Eastern WA, smoke impacts will continue to linger in the Spokane area and Northeast Washington, with improvement expected starting late tomorrow evening. North winds may also push smoke into the Columbia Basin leading to mostly Moderate air quality with the potential for occasional periods of Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. While surface winds are expected to keep smoke from Oregon fires generally away from Washington, there may be localized impacts in the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla areas.

In Western WA, expect to see haze aloft in the atmosphere through midweek as smoke drifts over the region. The majority of smoke should stay high above us in the atmosphere with minimal surface-level impacts (mostly Moderate with potential for Unhealthy to Sensitive Groups along the Cascade Crest). An Air Quality Alert has also been issued for Skagit and Whatcom Counties through Wednesday at 9am due to expected smoke impacts from fires in British Columbia.

Looking Ahead

The wildfire situation continues to evolve with expected hot and dry weather. With active fire behavior, continued fire growth, and potential holdover fires from recent lightning, smoke production may increase across the region. 

We'll continue monitoring the changing conditions and update as needed. Keep an eye on current and forecasted conditions at the map at the top of this page (note that today's cloud cover is limiting our ability to accurately predict smoke so forecasted air quality may differ from localized conditions).