SPOKANE, Wash. — Wildfire smoke has started to impact the air quality in the Inland Northwest.
The biggest wildfire burning in the area is the Palmer Fire near Oroville, Washington. As of Tuesday morning, it was burning over 17,735 acres and was 49% contained.
Haze from wildfires has pushed Spokane's air quality into the moderate range, with an Air Quality Index of 70 on Tuesday morning. According to the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, conditions could improve later in the day with increased winds, but wildfire smoke will likely keep the air quality at moderate until tomorrow.
Moderate air quality means that there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. The Current Air Quality Index applies to the entire county and reflects the air pollutant with the highest reading in the monitor network.
If the air quality index worsens to between 101 and 150, Spokane will move into the "Unhealthy for Some Groups" range. Beyond that, air quality can continue to worsen to Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, and Hazardous.
Temperatures are expected to stay in the 80s through the week until a cool-down for the weekend. Scattered showers with lightning and gusty winds are expected today and could continue into the evening for mountainous regions.
Critical fire weather conditions are occurring now as a Red Flag Warning is in effect for areas of southeast Washington until 11 p.m. on Tuesday. A combination of current strong winds, low relative humidity, and dry conditions can contribute to high fire danger. This means any fire that develops will likely spread.