Western wildfire smoke drifting into Whatcom. Here’s what it’s doing to air quality.

Smoke from a deadly Northern California wildfire and other Western blazes is beginning to affect air quality in Whatcom County.

“Seeing hazy skies this morning?” The National Weather Service tweeted Monday from its Seattle office. “Smoke from #CarrFire and other wildfires in California has drifted north. Most of the smoke remains aloft but take precautions if you’re sensitive to air pollution.”

Some air-monitoring sites Whatcom County are beginning to show reduced air quality as a result of the smoke.

Sites in Bellingham and in the Custer area were showing that air quality had worsened from good to moderate at 6 a.m. Monday, according to the Northwest Clean Air Agency.

Particulate matter was the primary cause.

Other sites in Whatcom County, including the Columbia Valley near Kendall and in the Ferndale area, were showing good air quality.

People with heart disease or respiratory ailments — in addition to children, pregnant women and the elderly — should keep their doors and windows closed, avoid physical exertion, use an air conditioner or air filter, and possibly wear an N95 or N100 respirator mask, the state Department of Health website said.

Whatcom County residents have seen colorful sunrises and sunsets for about a week, caused by smoke from Siberian wildfires.

But that haze hadn’t affected local air quality, which remained good last week.

Forecast models posted by the National Weather Service show smoke continuing to flow north toward Washington from wildfires across the Golden State.

“It gets worse before it gets better,” said a post at an air quality blog maintained by the state Department of Ecology and the U.S. Forest Service.

This story was originally published July 30, 2018 at 10:39 AM.