Thurston air quality improves to ‘unhealthy’ from ‘very unhealthy.’ That’s progress, right?
Thurston County air quality continues to slowly improve — and that’s probably not fast enough for anyone after a week of crummy, smoke-filled air — but a weather system passing through the area Friday should continue to help, experts say.
Air quality is improving, according to the Lacey-based state Department of Ecology.
The department’s air quality data show that the area’s air is now rated “unhealthy,” which is down from “very unhealthy” on Thursday.
On a numbers basis, the air quality index here now rates 151-200, compared to Thursday’s AQI of 201-300.
Although a storm system is moving through the area, it hasn’t exactly translated into an immediate cleansing like a hot shower feels in the morning at home.
Only a trace of rain fell overnight, and somewhere between a tenth of an inch and a half-inch of rain is expected Friday, said Maddie Kristell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
A wind shift will help.
Wind from the south has been pushing wildfire smoke from California and Oregon into the area, but now the wind is expected to shift from the south to a northwesterly direction, she said.
There’s also a chance of more thunderstorms. The weather system should pass through the area on Saturday and bring drier weather on Sunday, Kristell said.
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 11:38 AM.
