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Seattle weather: Warm and hazy conditions expected Wednesday
Highs will be in the 80s Wednesday with sunny skies, but some wildfire smoke aloft.
SEATTLE - Smoke and haze from wildfires burning in Washington, Oregon, California and Canada has entered Puget Sound, with some areas under air quality alerts due to surface-level smoke.
Live photo of Downtown Seattle at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 3.
A number of wildfires are burning in Washington state as it faces heat advisories, excessive heat warnings and red flag warnings for dry, breezy conditions that could expand the fires' acreage.
Keep reading to learn more about surface-level smoke and the elevated, or "upstairs smoke" caused by wildfires.
Where are the fires in WA? Here's a map of the wildfires burning across the state
Here's a look at the current wildfires burning across WA and where they are on the map.
What is surface-level, or near-surface smoke?
According to NOAA, surface-level or near-surface smoke is wildfire smoke that lingers close to the ground, typically within about 26 feet. This is the type of smoke that is harmful to humans and animals, and is responsible for symptoms like burning, itchy eyes and worsening asthma.
What is Seattle's air quality?
As of 8:30 a.m., Seattle's AQI was 56, indicating "moderate" air quality. Most of the smoke causing that orange-tinted haze in the Seattle skies is considered elevated smoke, or what meteorologists call "smoke aloft" or "upstairs smoke". That means the wildfire smoke is high in the atmosphere and usually does not impact people's breathing at ground level – unless atmospheric conditions change.
Air quality alerts in WA
As of Wednesday morning, most of the air quality alerts were in effect for Eastern Washington, though some surface-level smoke is expected west of the Cascades.
What's next:
"I'm not terribly worried about the Puget Sound area coming up over the next couple of days in regard to our air quality," said FOX 13 Chief Meteorologist Brian MacMillan on Wednesday. "But east of the Cascades, we're going to have some pretty thick smoke that's going to be swirling around – and with that, we'll have a dropping in the quality of our air."
"With that, we have an air quality alert set up here for a lot of counties over on the east side of the state," he said. "Again, don't be exercising outside or running around outside if we start getting into that red area, that very unhealthy or even hazardous air. You just don't want to be outside in that."
Hoodsport had some of the worst air quality in the US
Big picture view:
According to IQAir, Hoodsport, Washington had some of the worst air quality in the United States at around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. At the time, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was at 286 – categorized as "very unhealthy".
Hoodsport, located along the Hood Canal about 5 miles southeast of Lake Cushman, is breathing in smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire. As of September 3, the fire is burning 9,406 acres and remains 10% contained.
According to the AQI to Cigarette Calculator, spending just 2 hours outside in Hoodsport, Washington with an AQI of 286 is equivalent to smoking one cigarette. Spending an 8-hour shift outside under these conditions is like smoking 3 cigarettes.
The Source: Information in this story comes from FOX 13 Seattle Chief Meteorologist Brian MacMillan, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, IQAir, AQI to Cigarettes Calculator and InciWeb.
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