SPOKANE — Smoke from Canadian wildfires lingered in the Spokane region Thursday, triggering an air quality alert not often issued this early in the year.
“Typically, those aren’t put out until we get into our fire season,” said Jeremy Wolf, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Spokane.
The air quality index reached “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” Thursday in Spokane County, the earliest in the year the index reached that group because of wildfire smoke since at least 1999, according to the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency.
The index was 85, or in the moderate range, Thursday night.
The Washington Department of Ecology announced an air quality alert, effective through Saturday morning, for Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams and Whitman counties because of the smoke from Canada. Air quality levels may reach “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” during that time.