Western Washington air quality takes a dive

Got air filters? Crank 'em if you got 'em in Western Washington this morning (July 5, 2023). Air quality throughout the region has taken a dive into unhealthy territory.

The Washington State Department of Ecology says the air quality is hazardous in the south end of Tacoma. It's also unhealthy for everyone in parts of Marysville, Seattle, Tukwila, and Auburn.

Sensitive groups should limit their time outdoors north of Seattle and around Olympia and Bremerton, where smoke from a wildfire burning near Shelton is clogging up the air.

You can blame the poor air quality on smoke from all of last night's fireworks shows and smoke coming in from local and Canadian wildfires. Down along the Columbia River, near White Salmon, Washington, the Tunnel Five fire is also sending smoke throughout Skamania and Klickitat counties. The large fire near Shelton also is contributing to those conditions.

According to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, "As long as there are fires near Shelton, poor air quality will persist in much of our region."

The National Weather Service in Seattle expects winds from the coast will move through the region starting on Thursday and into Friday, which could blow some of the smoke away and improve conditions.

With temperatures beating or coming near record highs this week, the Western Washington region is very dry at the moment, prompting concerns about the potential for more wildfires in the days ahead. Burn bans are in effect in Whatcom, Skagit, Kitsap, Snohomish, and Pierce counties. A burn ban is also in effect for unincorporated King County. Aside from recreational fires in metal or concrete fire pits, or propane grills, outdoor burning is not allowed in these areas.

Leading up to the July 4 holiday, the Department of Natural resources noted that six fires in southwestern Washington were caused by fireworks. While they were small fires, they diverted firefighting resources away from larger fires in the state.

Local fire departments also warned that many brush fires have been started, partially due to fireworks and the extreme dry conditions.