Everett residents should expect unhealthy air through Thursday as wildfire smoke from Spokane County and British Columbia drifts west into Snohomish County, with midweek temperatures forecast near 90 degrees compounding the health risk.
The National Weather Service Seattle issued an air quality alert Monday, Aug. 3, covering Snohomish, King, Kitsap, Pierce and Thurston counties through 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5.
Separately, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and the Snohomish County Health Department warned in a joint press release that air quality could reach unhealthy levels starting Tuesday, Aug. 4, and remain degraded through Thursday, Aug. 6.
What the numbers mean
The NWS alert warns that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations may reach "unhealthy for sensitive groups" on the EPA's Air Quality Index. The multi-agency advisory goes further, stating conditions could hit the broader "unhealthy" category for the general population by midweek.
People at elevated risk include those with heart or lung disease, asthma, older adults, children, teenagers, pregnant women, people with diabetes and stroke survivors.
What to do
The joint agency advisory recommends Everett residents:
- Stay indoors when possible and limit outdoor exertion such as running, cycling or physical labor.
- Close windows and run air conditioners in recirculation mode.
- Use portable air cleaners with HEPA filters.
- Wear N95 or N100 masks when outdoors.
- Schools, camps, sports teams and daycare providers should postpone outdoor activities or move them inside.
Residents without air conditioning should seek a public space with filtered indoor air, such as a library or community center. Swartzendruber told the Herald that residents should consider finding a cooling center to give their bodies a break from both the heat and the poor air quality.
Snohomish County maintains a list of cooling centers on its Public Safety Hub.
When conditions should improve
NWS forecaster Jacob DeFlitch told the Herald on Monday that elevated fire weather conditions, driven by hot temperatures and low humidity over the Cascades, are expected through Thursday and possibly into Friday.
Winds are forecast to shift Thursday night, blowing in cleaner air from the Pacific Ocean.
Relief could come Friday. DeFlitch said smoky conditions may begin to clear by Saturday, Aug. 8, once westerly winds take hold.
Residents can track real-time air quality readings on the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's monitoring map at map.pscleanair.gov.
