Over the weekend, residents of Washington and Oregon were welcomed with ash and smoke as more than a dozen huge fires raged through the Pacific Northwest forest.
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking poor air quality and smoke throughout the workweek across the Pacific Northwest and into the Upper Midwest.
Pacific Northwest wildfires pose health risks throughout the West
(Photo : Issy Bailey/Unsplash)
The smoke is expected to drift east on Tuesday, causing foggy conditions in sections of the Upper Midwest, as per Fox News.
The combination of low humidity, strong winds, and dry conditions produced ideal circumstances for flames to spread quickly.
More than 5,000 firefighters are battling huge fires that have devastated over a quarter-million acres.
Over the weekend, smoke and ash were recorded from Seattle to Portland, Oregon, as easterly to southerly winds allowed the fire plumes to drift into inhabited areas.
Due to readings in the harmful range, numerous counties in the region were issued air quality advisories.
Because of the intense smoke, the National Weather Service recommended residents around Seattle to stay indoors, avoid vigorous exercise, and close windows and doors.
Air quality advisories for the eastern half of Washington state, as well as Montana and northern Idaho, remain in effect Monday.
East of Seattle, in the Wenatchee National Forest, and in Idaho, near the Clearwater Mountains, "very hazardous" air advisories have been issued.
Wildfires raging throughout the West are affecting air quality
While Montana is dealing with terrible air quality, regions from the Midwest to the Mountain West are prepared for the potential health repercussions of these hundreds of miles distant fires, as per The Hill.
Such pollution is caused by tiny particulate matter, or particles with a diameter of fewer than 2.5 microns, which is abundant in wildfire ash and can cause respiratory problems.
On Monday morning, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued a smoke forecast, warning that hazy skies and mild to moderate smoke concentrations are anticipated in northern and western Colorado.
According to the EPA, such air quality conditions would be "due to smoke from out-of-state wildfires."
While no severe public health implications were predicted, the agency recommended sensitive persons minimize strenuous exertion in regions where smoke was visible.
According to the Swiss air quality monitoring app IQAir, both Seattle and Portland rated among the top 20 cities in the world for air pollution levels on Monday, far closer to the Pacific Northwest fires.
According to The Seattle Times, Seattle temporarily held the most dangerous slot on the list over the weekend, with air pollution levels appearing to be the worst in over two years.
According to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality's real-time air monitoring system, much of Idaho's northern panhandle was suffering "unhealthy" air quality levels on Monday.
Two monitoring stations along the Washington-Oregon border reported "extremely unhealthy" levels.
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Air Quality Index defines unhealthy air quality levels as those that can have substantial health consequences for individuals of vulnerable populations.
Very unhealthy levels pose a greater risk of adverse health impacts for everyone, and "hazardous" levels warrant an emergency health alert.
According to the EPA's interactive AirNow air quality map, large regions of Montana, Washington state, and Oregon, as well as the Sierra Nevada and Western Canada, had bad air quality on Monday, with some areas having very unhealthy or even hazardous conditions.
Read more: Trees in California Mountain Range Are Dying Due to High Pressure and Wildfire
Cedar Creek Fire
According to the NICC, the fire has burnt over 86,734 acres and is 0% controlled.
The majority of the fires are contained within the Willamette National Forest, although private holdings in the state's west are endangered.
Because the fire is out of control, an estimated 1,900 households have been ordered to evacuate.
Storms in early August are thought to have triggered the lightning that ignited the fire. The storms sparked 20 to 30 new fires, according to the US Forest Service.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared an emergency on Friday to assist deploy resources for the Lane County fire.
The greatest fire in the Pacific Northwest this year has scorched more than 155,297 acres in eastern Oregon near the Snake River. The fire has grown to almost 42,814 acres as of Sunday morning.
According to officials, between 100 and 200 homes are endangered, and the fire is raging near the village of Imnaha.
Similar to the Cedar Creek Fire, the wildfire is being blamed on August thunderstorms that generated lightning.
More than 850 people are trying to put out the fire, which was only around 15% contained as of latest update
Related article: Wildfire Smoke Particles Can Affect the Climate Longer Than Previously Expected
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