MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Air quality to worsen as smoke returns

Aug 19, 2018, 12:04 PM | Updated: 10:12 pm

Forecasters are warning of unhealthy air for parts of the Pacific Northwest as winds push smoke from surrounding wildfires into the region.

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued air quality alerts for much of Washington state.

The NWS says air quality in Western Washington is expected to worsen. Some improvement is expected by Wednesday.

An air quality alert is also in place across Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Forecasters say smoke from fires in British Columbia is expected to drift into Washington and Idaho, causing unhealthy air levels through Tuesday.

Officials say air quality over the area is poor because of smoke from wildfires and terrain that traps smoke in valleys.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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