Wildfire smoke is causing unhealthy air in Whatcom. Here’s how long it will last
Air quality in Bellingham and lowland Whatcom County worsened quickly Monday, Oct. 10, as smoke from wildfires in Eastern Washington drifted into the region.
Meanwhile, fire department officials asked residents to avoid calling 911 unless they see a fire.
“Please do not call 911 for general smoke haze, but do not hesitate to call if you see an identifiable smoke column or a confirmed fire. If in doubt, please call,” South Whatcom Fire Authority said on its Facebook page.
Smoke began drifting toward Whatcom County from the south and east around noon Monday, and haze hung low in some areas, especially around Bellingham.
In Bellingham, air quality fell to a level considered unhealthy for people with respiratory ailments such as asthma.
Air quality was moderate in Lynden and Kendall around 3 p.m. Monday, and unhealthy for everyone near Agate Bay and on the south end of Lake Whatcom, according to the Washington Smoke Blog map, which draws data from a variety of sources.
But the smoke wasn’t expected to last, said Seth Preston, spokesman for the Northwest Clean Air Agency.
“Everything indicates that things are changing. The wind has definitely picked up out of the west,” Preston told The Bellingham Herald.
West winds are what the National Weather Service calls an “onshore flow,” and those ocean breezes should keep Northwest Washington relatively smoke-free on Tuesday, Oct. 11, according to the online forecast.
“Increasing onshore flow should at least, if only temporarily, push some smoke eastward out of the area,” meteorologist Kayla Mazurkiewicz said in the online forecast discussion.
But forecast models from FireSmoke Canada show wildfire smoke drifting back over Northwest Washington on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
And the Settle-are forecast from the National Weather Service warns that an onshore flow could return later this week.
That could not only bring wildfire smoke from the east, but also increase fire conditions.
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 2:51 PM.
