Clean air still out of reach for now as forecast shifts in South Sound
Hope for cleaner air early this week fizzled Monday morning, with air quality in the region ranging from “very unhealthy” to “hazardous.” A storm system forecasters had projected to bring showers had waned in strength and stalled off the coast, and projections for a clearing of the haze have now stretched to late in the week.
Just before 7 a.m. Monday, state Department of Ecology data showed air quality in the Lacey area and throughout the South Puget Sound was at hazardous levels. Readings from Lacey had hovered between “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” levels since early Friday morning and throughout the weekend.
The most recent day when air quality at the Lacey location was considered “good” for a full 24 hours was Sunday, Sept. 6, according to Ecology data. Recreational fires aren’t allowed in Thurston County, effective Sept. 11, through Wednesday, Sept. 30, as of now.
The storm system that had been sitting off the coast and bringing in smoke from off-shore stayed in place instead of making landfall, Mary Butwin, a meteorologist with National Weather Service in Seattle, explained in a phone call with The Olympian. And, it weakened in strength.
So, what was looking like a good forecast to clear the air diminished to a scattered, “spotty drizzle,” Butwin said. It could help a little bit, but it won’t bring the smoke to the surface with the force of a heavy rain.
Light southerly winds are expected to continue through at least Tuesday, and are expected to bring more smoke from Oregon fires north along the Interstate 5 corridor, according to a Monday morning post from the Washington Smoke Blog.
The haze will slowly start to improve, Butwin said, but it now looks like a clear-out could be coming later this week. Forecasters anticipate wind from that system that’s currently sitting off the coast to bring in marine air.
For now, though, we’re cloaked in smoke.
“I know how frustrating it is for everyone,” Andrew Wineke, Communications Manager for Ecology’s Air Quality Program, told The Olympian Monday.
The Department of Ecology and the state Department of Health’s advice when you see air quality readings like this is to take precautions: Stay inside, and keep windows and doors closed.
Those who own air conditioners should set them to re-circulate, and those who don’t can use an indoor air purifier or create one using a box fan and furnace filter. If you’re driving, set your vehicle’s air conditioner to re-circulate.
Don’t use candles, incense, sprays, fireplaces, or gas stoves. Avoid vacuuming unless yours has a HEPA filter, according to DOH.
If you have neighbors and family members who are elderly or have health conditions, it’s a good time to check on them.
The cloth face coverings Washingtonians are wearing to slow the spread of COVID-19 may help a little bit, according to the state Department of Health, but won’t filter out fine particles or hazardous gases in smoke. NIOSH-approved N95 or N100 respirator masks can offer protection, but need to be reserved for people required to wear them for work and may be in short supply due to the ongoing pandemic, according to DOH.
Bookmark these resources
Monitor air quality throughout the region via the Department of Ecology: https://enviwa.ecology.wa.gov/home/map
The state Department of Health answers several questions regarding possible health problems caused by smoke and how to protect yourself, and offers additional resources from other agencies: https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/SmokeFromFires
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 10:56 AM.
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