Leavenworth, WA air quality: 1 hour outside equals smoking 6 cigarettes
WA air quality: Smoke from wildfires moves into Seattle area
Much of Washington will be blanketed with surface-level smoke from multiple wildfires burning across the state.
CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. - Multiple active wildfires are creating hazardous air quality across Washington, but Leavenworth's Air Quality Index (AQI) on Monday was off the charts.
(AirNow)
Leavenworth's air quality measures far beyond Hazardous
By the numbers:
According to AirNow, an official government platform that monitors real-time outdoor air quality and forecasts, a monitor in Leavenworth measured an AQI of 3,592 at around 1 p.m. According to the U.S. Air Quality Index, a standardized, color-coded scale, that reading falls well above maroon Hazardous levels.
To understand how severe the air quality is, take a look at the AQI scale:
- Green (Good): AQI 0–50
- Yellow (Moderate): AQI 51–100
- Orange (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): AQI 101–150
- Red (Unhealthy): AQI 151–200
- Purple (Very Unhealthy): AQI 201–300
- Maroon (Hazardous): AQI 301–500
Notice how the AQI scale for maroon, Hazardous air quality caps at 500? That means Leavenworth's AQI was thousands of points off the charts. Eleven other sensors scattered across the Leavenworth Valley registered four-digit readings as well, ranging from 1,122 to 3,337. While the official U.S. index maxes out at 500, consumer-grade sensors calculate uncapped scores when wildfire smoke pools heavily in mountain valleys.
Fishlake Shoreline on Aug. 3, 2026 (10-15 miles southeast of the Little Giant Fire). (InciWeb)
Breathing Leavenworth's air for one hour is equal to smoking 6 cigarettes
Why you should care:
To put it into perspective, exposure to that level of air quality for one hour is roughly equivalent to smoking 6 cigarettes, according to the AQI to Cigarette Calculator.
If a Washington firefighter who is actively dispatched to a wildfire works an average of 12 to 16 hours per day, exposure to those conditions would equal smoking between 78 and 104 cigarettes per day – without protective equipment.
Where is the smoke coming from?
Big picture view:
For Leavenworth, the smoke is driven by multiple wildfires burning in Chelan County and east of the Cascade Range – the closest being the Little Giant Fire, burning about 30 miles northwest of town. As of Aug. 4, that fire had reached nearly 60,000 acres, an 8,000-acre increase in 24 hours. The lightning-caused fire remains 0% contained.
Here's where fires in Washington state are burning
The latest information on active and fully contained wildfires burning in Washington state.
Washington cities reporting Hazardous AQI levels:
- Wenatchee: AQI 764
- Quincy: AQI 898
- Twisp: AQI 489
- Conconully: AQI 976
- Nine Mile Falls, near Spokane: AQI 638
(AirNow)
Western WA smoke forecast
According to FOX 13 Seattle Chief Meteorologist Brian MacMillan, smoke will likely become more noticeable across western Washington through Wednesday as offshore winds send wildfire smoke across the Cascade Range. Exactly where the thickest smoke settles will vary from day to day, but some smoke is expected to mix down to the surface during afternoon hours. Air quality could reach unhealthy levels in spots.
Air quality conditions should begin to improve later in the week as winds gradually shift back onshore, helping push cleaner marine air into western Washington.
Surface level smoke will impact air quality through at least Wednesday in Western Washington. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Air Quality forecast for Central and Eastern WA
MacMillan added that Central and Eastern Washington will continue to experience hot, dry weather through midweek.
Air quality across Central and Eastern Washington is expected to remain the worst near active fires, with some communities experiencing Unhealthy or Very Unhealthy conditions at times depending on wind direction.
The Source: Information in this story comes from AirNow, Watch Duty, InciWeb, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle Digital Team.
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