SPOKANE, Wash. — Hazy skies and a distinctive smell of smoke filled the skies in Spokane on Thursday morning. Winds, that picked up overnight, pushed wildfire smoke across central Washington, into Spokane and north Idaho.
Spokane air quality dropped to the 'Unhealthy' level as of 6 a.m. on Thursday, with an AQI of 161. That report came from a sensor in Airway Heights. Sensors in downtown Spokane are in the 'Unhealthy for Some' range.
"It certainly smells very smoky and there are numerous sensors that are reporting unhealthy air quality," KREM 2 Meteorologist Thomas Patrick said.
Some of the worst air quality stretches from the Winthrop area out toward Airway Heights. Some sensors in Winthrop are reporting hazardous air quality, which means an AQI of 300 or above.
A live camera from Sun Mountain lodge showed smoke so thick that it blocked out any view of the mountains.
Most of the smoke in our area is coming from the Parks Fire which is burning along the Washington-Canada border, northwest of Winthrop. Northwesterly winds, which started yesterday, have continued to blow smoke from that fire toward the south and east into central Washington and close to the Spokane area.
The good news is that the air quality is expected to improve later in the day on Thursday. The winds will shift to a more northerly direction, meaning smoke will head toward the Cascade crest and away from the Methow Valley. Most of Spokane and the Inland Northwest should see air quality improvements by the midday hours. The exception is near Bonners Ferry where the Kootenai River Complex Fire continues to burn and send smoke into the region.
The winds will turn to the northeast on Friday and blow most of the smoke away from our region. The one exception, again, will be smoke from the Kootenai River Complex Fire.
