Air stagnation advisory issued for Southwest Washington

Our stretch of unusually fine weather is leading to a warning about unusually stagnant air.

The National Weather Service in Portland has issued an air stagnation advisory through 4 p.m. Wednesday for Southwest Washington, warning that light wind and fair skies could result in increased particulates in the air. That in turn could affect people with respiratory problems, who are advised to stay indoors or take precautions until the air quality improves. 

The air stagnation advisory has prompted the Southwest Clean Air Agency to issue a Stage 2 burn ban for Clark County, which is in effect until further notice.

In a Stage 2 ban, all outdoor burning and the use of all fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts is prohibited. An exemption is made for homes where wood burning is the only source of heat.

“We are hopeful that calling this Stage 2 burn ban will moderate ambient levels of fine particulate matter until a more active weather system moves in,” said Uri Papish, executive director for the agency. “We are not asking anyone to go without heat, but to use an alternative source of heat if possible until weather patterns change and our air quality returns to healthy levels.”

Rain is forecast to return Wednesday evening, and last into the weekend, which should reduce the air stagnation.

Current air quality information is available on the web at http://www.swcleanair.org/burning/airquality.asp.