Wildfire smoke billowing off fires in the North Cascades may hit Whatcom County this weekend, according to reports from the National Weather Service.
Easterly winds Friday and Saturday may send smoke from fires burning east of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, along the North Cascades and just north of the Canadian border into the area, according to a Thursday morning NWS announcement.
Along with winds hitting 15-20 miles per hour, locals should expect rising temperatures, with heat in the high 80s and low 90s along the west slopes of the Cascades, the Columbia River Gorge, the Olympics, and in the Puget Lowlands from King County southward, according to a press release from the state Department of Natural Resources.
“The smoke is going to be pretty widespread, based on what I’ve seen,” said Seth Preston, the communications program manager at the Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA). “It’s going to mean impaired air quality in the region.”
NWCAA is the regulator agency tracking air quality across Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties, and monitors particulate matter in the air. Smoke means more particulates, Preston said, and the smoke residents will see in Northwest Washington this weekend won’t just contain particulars from trees and shrubs.
“There’s material burning, too: siding from houses, aluminum, metals, manufactured goods,” Preston said. “It’s going to make it that much more toxic.”
Wildfire smoke can be incredibly dangerous, particularly for residents who have preexisting heart and lung issues, the elderly and children.
The health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure can damage lung function and a person’s immune system, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Even in healthy people, exposure to fine particles can potentially lead to transient reductions in lung function,” according to the EPA. “Particle pollution may also affect the body’s ability to remove inhaled foreign materials, such as viruses and bacteria, from the lungs. Short-term exposures (i.e., days to weeks) to fine particles are associated with increased risk or exacerbation of pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as premature mortality.”
Wildfire smoke has become commonplace most summers, even if wildfires are rare in the county.
“It’s unfortunate that wildfire smoke has become part of the norm,” Preston said. “The smoke we receive is generally not generated within our three-county (Whatcom, Skagit, Island) region.”
Of the six summers he has spent in the area, Preston only recalled one when wildfire smoke wasn’t overwhelming. In 2019, he said, the smoke wasn’t “really bad,” but that summer was “an aberration.”
Preston stressed the importance of staying safe during wildfire smoke season.
“If the air quality is bad enough, it’s going to affect everyone,” he said Thursday. “People need to realize that smoke is going to have an impact on them. It may be minimal, but it’s going to have an impact no matter what.”
Preston said residents should plan to stay out of the smoke as much as possible, wear masks to prevent breathing in particulates, leave doors and windows closed and stay indoors.
