Wildfire smoke reaches unhealthy levels Sunday afternoon, likely to linger for Monday

Air quality continued to worsen Sunday afternoon in Spokane, and forecasters aren’t expecting it to leave anytime soon.

“We’re kind of getting sandwiched right now,” said Joey Clevenger, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Spokane. Wildfire smoke from the west, north and southeast was all converging in Spokane, making the sun glow orange and cutting visibility.

After several days of wildfire smoke that made the air unhealthy for some groups, the air quality index rose Sunday afternoon into levels unhealthy for everyone at a monitoring station near downtown Spokane.

The Spokane Clean Air Agency issued an air quality alert that will continue through Monday morning, when conditions will be reassessed. People should limit their time outdoors over the next couple of days, if possible.

Smoke will keep daytime temperatures relatively cooler, Clevenger said. Forecasted highs over the next several days are in the low 80s, with nighttime lows reaching near 50 degrees.