That brown, choking air in the Tri-Cities isn’t leaving soon

The air in the Tri-Cities on Monday was so smoky that the state rated it as “unhealthy” starting at 9 a.m.

Everyone should limit time spent and strenuous activity done outdoors, and only do light indoor activities, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.

Children, pregnant women, older adults and those with chronic health conditions — such as asthma or heart disease — should be particularly cautious.

Symptoms can be mild, such as coughing and sinus irritation, but more serious symptoms such as shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat and chest pain also are possible.

By late afternoon, the Tri-Cities air quality was just short of the level of contamination that would be rated “very unhealthy.”

The National Weather Service has issued an air quality alert for most of Eastern Washington until at least noon Wednesday.

Widespread haze and areas with substantial smoke are forecast for the Tri-Cities through the end of the alert.

The weather service says it will reassess whether to extend the alert on Wednesday. It expects some improvement toward the end of the week.

Air to the north of the Tri-Cities was worse for most of the day Monday, with the air quality in Ritzville and Spokane rated as “very unhealthy” by Ecology officials.

A shift in winds over the weekend brought smoky air down from Canada, according to Ecology.

Local and regional fires also were adding to the smoke in the air, according to the weather service.

The Tri-Cities had problems with air quality last year in September, with the air quality rated as “very unhealthy” around Sept. 5-7.

Ecology said on Monday that it was asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to exclude those three dates from calculations used to determine whether the Tri-Cities meets National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

If areas fail to meet national standards, industry and local governments may be required to implement new air quality controls to prevent and reduce pollution.

The state wants those three days stricken for consideration because it was an exceptional event that could not be reasonably controlled.

As in the current air quality alert, the Tri-Cities was overwhelmed from smoke from wildfires as stagnant weather conditions trapped smoke in low-lying areas.

Last year, the school year had started when the worst of the smoke hit. Children were kept indoors at recess and sporting events were canceled.

This story was originally published August 13, 2018 at 12:06 PM.