PORTLAND, Ore. — People in the Portland metro area and other parts of Oregon woke up Wednesday morning to hazy skies caused by wildfires burning in Canada.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and other regional agencies have issued an air quality advisory for the Portland-Vancouver, Salem and Eugene-Springfield metro areas until Wednesday evening.
The DEQ's interactive Air Quality Index (AQI) map shows scattered areas across the state with diminished air quality levels.
As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Portland's air quality was "Moderate," with much of the surrounding area seeing Moderate or Good air quality. Under the Moderate category, DEQ's website says the air quality is acceptable, but there may be a "moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution."
In Washington, air quality levels were much worse Wednesday morning. Much of the western part of the state had Moderate air quality, while parts of the Tacoma and Seattle metro areas saw levels in the Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy and Hazardous categories.
"If you are traveling up to Seattle today, air quality is much worse," said KGW meteorologist Rod Hill. "You see that's flat out "Unhealthy" for a good chunk of the area. So respiratory health issues tend to correlate with wildfire smoke for a rough day for you."
Hill said he expects the smoke to clear out Thursday and Friday when the upper-level winds shift.
How to check the air quality in your neighborhood
The DEQ reports how clean the air is at a specific location and provides information about any possible health risks. The agency's AQI map uses a color-coded system ranging from "Good" (labeled by green dots), which means air pollution poses little to no risk, to "Hazardous" (labeled by maroon dots), meaning air quality is unhealthy for everyone.
To check the air quality in your area, go to the DEQ's Air Quality Index website. In the search box, type in your your city, state or ZIP code. You can also use the interactive air quality map