Smoke from Oregon, California fires moving into Western Washington

Unhealthy air expected Thursday night through Saturday

September 10, 2020 4:53 pm
Smoke moving across Western Washington. COURTESY IMAGE, State Dept. of Ecology
Smoke moving across Western Washington. COURTESY IMAGE, State Dept. of Ecology

A super-massive body of wildfire smoke from fires in Oregon and California is beginning to move into Washington, and air quality is declining, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.

This smoke is expected to impact Western Washington, the Columbia Basin, and even Spokane as it moves overhead. Not much smoke has mixed down to the surface yet, but smoke forecasts show unhealthy or worse levels starting Thursday night on the Peninsula and then through the I-5 Corridor.

The forecast for Friday isn’t great and Saturday looks worse.

This is the smoke/air forecast for Friday, Sept. 11. Red means unhealthy air. Brown is unhealthy for sensitive groups. COURTESY GRAPHIC, State Dept. of Ecology

This is the smoke/air forecast for Friday, Sept. 11. Red means unhealthy air. Brown is unhealthy for sensitive groups. COURTESY GRAPHIC, State Dept. of Ecology

What the colors mean. COURTESY GRAPHIC, State Dept. of Ecology

What the colors mean. COURTESY GRAPHIC, State Dept. of Ecology