PORT ANGELES — The air quality on the North Olympic Peninsula may have improved for now, but “we’re not out of the woods yet,” atmospheric scientist Ranil Dhammapala said.
Dhammapala, of the state Department of Ecology, predicted the smoke from wildfires across Washington would clear Thursday night on the Olympic Peninsula.
“Clearing today, even if it’s not during the workday, is on the horizon,” he said Thursday afternoon.
As of 2 p.m. Thursday, Peninsula air quality monitors showed a “moderate” air quality index.
Up-to-date air quality information can be found on the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow.
“Moderate” defines the air quality as “acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution,” according to the EPA.
Dhammapala advised to look out for smoke returning between Sunday and Tuesday.
“We think conditions are building that could signal a possible return,” he said Wednesday. “It maybe won’t be as bad, but it’s trending in that direction.”
Dhammapala said he plans to update Washington’s smoke blog with information about air quality across Washington by 8 a.m. today.
