‘Very unhealthy’ air and smoke lingering, but relief could come by Thursday

Air quality continues to be the worst the region has seen in decades, but officials say some of the smoke might blow out by Thursday.

The air in Tacoma and most of Pierce County registered as “very unhealthy” Tuesday, according to the state Department of Ecology.

Another round of smoke from wildfires in British Columbia and north central Washington was expected to come in Tuesday afternoon, but forecasters said there is one perk.

The thick smoke is keeping temperatures 8 to 10 degrees cooler, according to the National Weather Service.

Tacoma’s high Tuesday was 84. It is forecast to drop slightly Wednesday to 81 and down to 70 with areas of drizzle Thursday.

An Air Quality Alert remains in effect until 5 p.m. Wednesday.

“Wednesday is the transition day, with an onshore, marine push beginning that evening,” University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass wrote on his weather blog. “Thursday should be a MUCH better day, with clean ocean air over our region.”

Shifting winds brought ash down in some communities Tuesday. Officials believed it came from the 38,924-acre Cougar Creek or 26,181-acre Crescent Mountain fires. Cougar Creek is burning in Wenatchee National Forest. Crescent Mountain is burning near Lake Chelan.

“This can be disconcerting, but keep in mind ash isn’t really a health problem,” according to the Washington Smoke Information page.

It’s hard to gauge how many people are affected by the blanket of smoke, but health officials still are advising people and pets to stay indoors and avoid exercising outside.

Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma has seen a 30-percent increase in patients with respiratory problems in the last six days compared to the same time period last year, a MultiCare spokeswoman said.

Keepers at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium are closely monitoring the animals, especially a snake and mole rat known to have respiratory conditions.

At the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater, birds that might normally fly during the live-animal show are grounded because of the poor air quality, General Curator Karen Goodrowe Beck said.

This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 2:03 PM.