Smoke clearing in the west but fire weather remains critical

Widespread smoke impacts continue across the state, as seen in today's satellite imagery. 

Satellite imagery from 8/6/2026 (Terra/MODIS).

When will air quality improve?

In Western WA, expect slow and gradual improvement today. Winds are shifting onshore but the relatively weak push of cleaner air means smoke may linger longer than initially expected. More noticeable clearing should develop overnight and into Friday, with much improved air quality through the weekend. 

Air Quality Alerts for Grays Harbor, Mason, Thurston, Whatcom, and Skagit counties expire today at 5pm. Air Quality Alerts for Southwest WA (Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Skamania, and Wahkiakum) expire at the end of the day today. Due to expected lingering smoke especially in the foothills and Cascades, Air Quality Alerts for King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties have been extended until tomorrow morning at 8am. Pooling smoke in valleys can take longer to clear, so keep an eye on nearby air quality monitors for the most up-to-date conditions. 

In Eastern WA, impaired air quality will continue for most of the region due to light winds. Some slight improvement is possible in South Central Washington this afternoon, but overall air quality conditions will remain challenging until winds strengthen. Gradual improvement is expected Friday into the weekend for areas not directly downwind of active fires. Communities east of ongoing fires will remain highly susceptible to smoke impacts. 

Air Quality Alerts remain in effect for all counties in Central and Eastern Washington until further notice.

Upcoming fire weather in Eastern WA

Unfortunately, Eastern WA won't catch much of a break. Critical fire weather conditions return Friday and Saturday, with strong winds and low relative humidity across the region. However, winds will not be as strong as last weekend's event with forecasted sustained winds of 10-20 mph and gusts 20-30 mph. While the increased winds will help disperse smoke, they also will likely increase smoke production from both existing fires and any new starts. The combination of hot, dry, and windy conditions will keep fire behavior elevated.

How does this smoke event compare to previous years?

Checking back in on this summer's air quality compared to previous notable smoke years--the plot below looks at a timeseries of the statewide daily average of all monitoring sites during the summer for different regions of the state. So far smoke impacts this summer are comparable to the timing of smoke impacts in previous notable smoke years, and it's only early August. It's also shaping up to be a record breaking year for acres burned across Washington and Oregon.

Air monitoring sites in the Chelan and Wenatchee areas have also recorded PM2.5 concentrations corresponding to hazardous air quality. While some AQI graphics appear to "top out" at an AQI of 500, the hazardous range does extend beyond that, and air monitoring instruments do measure and report above an AQI of 500. Concentrations within the hazardous AQI level used to be very rare in the state, but unfortunately have become more common during extreme smoke events. 

For those in areas of impaired air quality, Tuesday's post has great tips for staying safe and reducing smoke exposure.