Smoke has air quality in parts of Western Washington nearing ‘unhealthy’ range

Air quality across the Puget Sound region has declined Friday, as smoke from local wildfires has rolled into the area.

In the North Sound, smoke from the Airplane Lake fire and the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area in Chelan County has moved into Snohomish County. That includes parts of Darrington and Gold Bar.

In Marysville and Everett, the Air Quality Index has hovered around 100, which is the lower end of the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category. Further north in Mount Vernon and Burlington, the AQI is closer to 110-115, while Bellingham is dealing with air quality between 120-150. That represents the higher end of the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range.

In the Seattle area, the AQI has ranged between 80-95, which is the “moderate” category, where there may be some risk for people who are particularly sensitive to air pollution. According to IQ Air, Seattle has the 12th worst air quality of any major city in the world as of late Friday afternoon.

These conditions are expected to persist through the weekend, until rain showers provide some relief early next week.

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