Relief from nasty smoke in Tri-Cities not coming as soon as expected

The air quality in the Tri-Cities is expected to remain hazardous until at least noon Monday, says the Benton Clean Air Agency.

Although the air should slowly start to improve on Monday, smoky air is expected to persist through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

A cold front was expected to move from the Pacific Ocean and over the state of Washington starting late Saturday. But the weather system has been slow to move onshore, said Dan Slagle, weather service meteorologist.

Now the cold front could arrive late in the week and clear the air. Rain is possible Friday in the Tri-Cities.

Stronger winds aloft could help slowly clear the air in the meantime, Slagle said.

However, winds from the southwest on Monday and Tuesday also could carry smoke from fires in California and southern Oregon to the Mid-Columbia, according to the weather service forecast.

Bad air across state

Much of the smoky air blanketing the Tri-Cities over the weekend came from a mass a smoke from Oregon fires that moved over the Pacific Ocean northwest from Oregon fires and then moved across the state of Washington.

Almost all air monitors for particles the size of smoke across Washington state showed air quality rated as hazardous Saturday afternoon into Sunday.

The air quality in the Tri-Cities was off the Washington state Department of Ecology charts Saturday morning, which rates air quality on a scale of 1 to 500.

Smoke particles in the air dropped below the 500 rating Saturday afternoon but the air quality remained rated as 350 in the Tri-Cities, still well within the hazardous range, for much of Sunday.

The air monitor in Burbank showed air quality was worse there, at about 425 on the Ecology rating scale for much of Sunday.

Visibility for drivers improved some on Sunday, but the weather service said drivers could only see for a half mile rather than the quarter mile of a day earlier in many locations in the Mid-Columbia. Drivers are advised to turn on their headlights.

Hanford nuclear reservation workers were notified about 3:30 p.m. Sunday that swing and graveyard shifts had been canceled due to the smoke.

Workers also were told not to report to the site Monday morning unless they were needed to maintain safe operations. Hanford workers who are teleworking because of the COVID-19 pandemic should continue to telework from home, they were told.

The blanket of smoke was keeping temperatures lower than normal across the Tri-Cities, with highs as cool as the upper 70s forecast on Sunday.

Highs are expected to warm only a couple of degrees to 80 or 81 Monday and Tuesday, according to the weather service.

With the air rated as hazardous people should stay indoors, avoid all strenuous activity, close windows and doors, set air conditioners to recirculate and use a HEPA filter if possible, says the Benton Clean Air Agency.

Check for the latest air quality in the Tri-Cities area at the Benton Clean Air Agency at bentoncleanair.org.

This story was originally published September 13, 2020 at 1:44 PM.