SEATTLE — Unhealthy air arrived in Central and Eastern Washington on Thursday as smoke from wildfires blanketed the region.
Three fires burning in the North Cascades and one just over the Canadian border are sending smoke into the Methow Valley, the Okanogan Valley and near Lake Chelan that could remain for the next few days.
Over the weekend, some northerly or northeasterly winds could blow smoke toward Puget Sound, with Skagit and Whatcom counties likely to face the worst of it, said Matt Dehr, a wildland fire meteorologist for the State Department of Natural Resources.
Meanwhile, Washington is at the peak of values for fire danger, even on the west side of the state, Dehr said. “Some of our fire danger indices are hitting record highs, mostly in the South Puget Sound, but also in the North Cascades, Central Cascades.”