Air near ‘hazardous’ as wildfire smoke blankets Whatcom. The forecast is discouraging
Smoke from Western wildfires isn’t going away anytime soon, and air quality worsened to very unhealthy or hazardous levels across the Puget Sound region Monday, Sept. 14.
Air monitoring stations in Ferndale and near Maple Falls showed “very unhealthy” levels at 11 a.m. Monday, according to the Northwest Clean Air Agency.
It was worse in Bellingham and Lynden/Custer, with an air quality index in the “hazardous” range above 300 for airborne smoke particles.
According to the app “Sh**t! I Smoke,” Whatcom County’s air quality was equal to smoking nearly seven cigarettes.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Seattle had discouraging news Monday after more than three days of choking smoke and haze that enveloped Western Washington and reduced visibility to about a quarter-mile Monday in Bellingham.
“Smoke from wildfires will remain an issue (Monday) and possibly further into this week, resulting in air quality impacts across the region,” meteorologist Gary Schneider wrote in the online forecast discussion.
“Smoke models have been forecasting decreasing smoke the last couple of days, but this hasn’t panned out,” Schneider said. “Smoke seems certain to linger today and possibly further into the week with generally light winds and limited mixing.”
An air quality alert was extended through noon Thursday.
Highs Monday were expected around 60 degrees — weather that’s more like October in the Northwest.
Forecasters had hoped that rain Monday would wash away the smoke, but the frontal system is weaker than previously thought and brings only about a 20% chance of showers.
“Showers will be light and spotty at best. This seems unlikely to be enough to scour the smoke and poor air quality affecting the area. Highs will once again be mostly in the 60s today with the thick smoke,” Schneider said.
“Moist and unstable southerly flow aloft ahead of an offshore upper low will keep a chance of showers for Western Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday but nothing organized or too widespread is expected. It’s hard to say how this will affect smoke across the area, but there is certainly a chance smoke could linger and continue to cause air-quality issues,” he said.
Computer models from both NOAA and FireSmoke Canada showed smoke clearing Monday. But meteorologists said the online models weren’t reflecting reality.
Very unhealthy air quality, with an index of 201-300, means everyone’s health is likely to be affected. Young children and those older than 65, and people with respiratory diseases such as asthma, should stay inside with doors and windows closed.
COVID testing canceled
Meanwhile, Whatcom Unified Command canceled morning an afternoon outdoor COVID-19 testing sites because of smoke Monday and said in a statement that patients who had appointments should go online to the TestDirectly.com website to reschedule.
Officials at the Northwest Clean Air Agency continued a “stage two” burn ban that outlaws all outside fires, including recreational fires and campfires, in Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties.
Fire officials in Whatcom County and the cities of Bellingham and Ferndale issued similar burn bans last week.
Propane barbecues and propane fire pits without wood are allowed, however.
County officials also closed the Plantation Rifle Range because they feared sparking a wildfire.
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 8:06 AM.
