More smoke may be headed Grant County's way

MOSES LAKE — Enjoy that bright sunny Friday afternoon, because there’s a pretty good chance the smoke will be back on Saturday. And Sunday, and next week, although if Grant County is lucky it won't be as thick.

It’s all about wind direction and the extent of the forest fires, said Steven Van Horn, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Spokane. On Friday the wind will be blowing from the west, and there’s no fire to the west. In 2018 the fire is to the north - and the winds are expected to shift back to the north beginning Saturday.

Fires are burning near Plain (Cougar Creek fire) and between Winthrop and Mazama (Crescent Mountain fire). More fires are burning in British Columbia, and those are pumping out a lot of the smoke currently making it hazy in eastern Washington. The good news is that at least a little rain is forecast for British Columbia over the weekend, but the bad news is the rain could be accompanied by higher winds.

“The question will be, how active are (the forest fires) going to be?” Van Horn said. Air quality will, in large part, “depend on the activity of the British Columbia fires.”

Depending on the amount of smoke generated by the fires, the smoke could stay at higher altitudes and not descend back to the surface, he said. But if there’s a lot of smoke and the winds are from the north, the smoke could settle in at ground level again.

The Washington Department of Health recommends staying indoors when air quality deteriorates. People with lung or heart diseases, stroke survivors and people with diabetes are at higher risk of severe symptoms. The Grant County Health District said it’s also a problem for senior citizens and children, infants and pregnant women.

The health district has distributed a limited number of masks - the N95 and P100 masks help filter out the particulates when worn properly - to city halls, police stations and fire stations throughout the county for high-risk populations. Limited numbers of masks are available at the city halls in George, Electric City and Mattawa, Royal City, Soap Lake and Warden; the Moses Lake Fire Department and Grant County PUD office in Moses Lake, Quincy Police Department and Grand Coulee Senior Center. The N95 masks are not fitted for children, the health department press release said, so children should stay indoors as much as possible.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.