SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane residents woke up to the worst air quality in the nation on Tuesday morning.
The air quality was in the unhealthy range on Monday evening into early Tuesday morning but has since improved to the “unhealthy for some groups” range.
Wildfire smoke from the Williams Flats Fire burning more than 13,000 acres on the Colville Reservation is pushing haze into the Inland Northwest.
Many Inland Northwest residents are (sadly) welcoming the start of what is typically the smokiest month in the region.
“Welcome back fire season,” one KREM 2 viewer wrote on Facebook.
“My throat hurts so bad I can’t even talk,” KREM producer Liz Smith wrote on Twitter.
Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency says residents should expect air quality that is “unhealthy for some groups” or worse through Wednesday. The air quality is expected to be worse at night with some relief in the afternoons.
People are sharing their photos and videos of smoke blanketing the region on social media.
Twitter user Melissa Huggins wrote on Monday, “I’ve been outside for five minutes and I already have a headache.” She also shared a photo of a smoky skyline over the Spokane River.
KREM photojournalist Al Lozano also shared some shots of smoke blanketing locations around the Northwest, including Riverside State Park, Cliff Drive, near downtown Spokane and Ellensburg.
Photos: Wildfire smoke blankets Spokane area
The view of downtown Spokane, normally visible from Riverside State Park, was blocked by smoke on Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service also shared a time lapse that shows the mountains obscured as smoke moved into the area near its office on Monday evening.
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