How to check air quality where you live
SPOKANE, Wash.– Even with smoke in the air, there can be quite a bit of difference in air quality just a few miles apart.
On Thursday morning, the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency reported “unhealthy air quality” on their website.
Despite this, the city’s air quality did not reach unhealthy levels. Instead, the unhealthy air was south of Spokane and Cheney from an air quality station at the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Turnbull is only a few miles north of the Williams Lake Fire. Air quality stations in the city reported Moderate air quality throughout the morning.
Turnbull air quality via WA Dept. of Ecology
Spokane air quality via WA Dept. of Ecology
RELATED: Williams Lake Wildfire burns 5 square miles, level 3 evacuations in place
Air quality and the amount of smoke in any given area depend on several factors: proximity to an active fire, wind direction, wind speed, overall weather pattern, and time of day. In particular, smoke tends to settle near the ground in the morning, lowering the air quality through the night and morning daylight until it begins to lift in the afternoon.
Dozens of permanent air quality monitoring stations are scattered across the Inland Northwest. Each can give you a better idea of where smoke is and is not in your local area.
Air Quality Monitors Online
Count on breaking updates on air quality and wildfires this fire season on kxly.com and sign up for our Fire Watch email.
RELATED: Cooler, breezy and some smoky air – Mark
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
