Outdoor enthusiasts in the Northwest may want to hunker down for a while as smoke continues to spread in parts of Washington and Oregon.
“Right now, with the light winds and an easterly to northerly flow, we're seeing pretty widespread air quality issues across eastern Oregon and south-central Washington,” said Ed Townsend, a science and operations officer at the National Weather Service in Pendleton.
A change in winds toward the west as early as Wednesday or Thursday could bring some wildfire smoke relief, particularly along the I-5 corridor.
But for those east of the Cascades, it could take longer for that smoke to leave, said Melissa Constanzer, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.
“The challenge is we really can't clear the air quickly enough to get rid of that smoke. So the smoke factor will remain as long as the fires are burning,” Constanzer said.
Chris Skidmore, director of Whitman County Public Health, said smoke can be particularly bad for people’s lungs, heart and sinuses.
“Once you start to get into moderate to hazardous, those (air quality levels) are when you need to start taking precautions,” he said.
People with underlying medical conditions like asthma should pay especially close attention to air quality, which can be checked on AirNow.gov.
Constanzer noted that on days with especially poor air quality, people who regularly spend time outdoors may also want to make alternative plans even if they’re not part of a sensitive group.
“ If you are someone that is usually very active and takes long runs or bike rides outside every day … maybe on those days you do some shorter activities or do indoor swimming at the pool,” she said.
For people who do need to be outdoors, a well-fitted N95 respirator can help reduce exposure. Air filters rated to at least 2.5 micron can help clear smoke from indoor settings.
Despite the challenges that come along with smoke, Constanzer said too much added wind could also be dangerous due to extreme drought in much of the west.
“There's not gonna be any widespread moisture or relief coming in to put out the fires as we go through the end of the month of August,” she said. “ Even looking ahead to September, the (weather) pattern is challenging.”
Much of Idaho has less severe smoke, but many areas still linger in moderate to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” air quality levels due to surrounding wildfires.
Areas including the Tri-Cities, as well as Spokane, where crews have been battling three fires that burned hundreds of structures, were in the “unhealthy” category as of Tuesday afternoon.
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