Air Quality Alert Issued through Wednesday

An Air Quality Alert has been issued by the Washington Department of Ecology for Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Okanogan and nine other Eastern Washington counties until Wednesday afternoon. Air quality is already starting to degrade and smoke will accumulate Saturday and Sunday.  At 4:30pm, air quality was unhealthy for sensitive groups at the Deptpartment of Ecology monitoring site at 5th Street in Wenatchee.

Areas close to fires could see unhealthy or worse air. Some clearing is possible in North Central and far eastern Washington by Monday, while other areas will not improve much beyond moderate or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. Children, the elderly, and individuals with respiratory illnesses are most at risk of serious health effects. If you experience respiratory distress, you should speak with your physician.