Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

SounderBruce OP t1_it1fasn wrote

There's a few wildfires in the Cascades east of Seattle that are producing huge smoke plumes that are covering the lowlands to the west. It's quite unprecedented to have them burning on the western slopes this late in the year, but that's what we have to live with now.

400

DrBabs t1_it29xdy wrote

Go back ten years and we never had a fire season like this creating months of smoke in the air.

136

stupidpunname54 t1_it2lsi4 wrote

Yup... when I was a kid we had clean air, less drought and plenty of water. I've never seen such a warm October in my life.

As today progresses, we should see wind coming from the west build up and clear us out. Hopefully...

82

manbearcolt t1_it2mcdh wrote

I live in South Dakota (near the border with Minnesota). They just got ~5" of snow in Minnesota. It's supposed to be 85 on Sunday. October twenty fucking third in (essentially) southern Canada.

Boy oh boy I'm glad climate change is a hoax, because that would really suck if it were real...

66

stupidpunname54 t1_it31fjp wrote

From freezing to 85 in fall... that is wild.

29

DigitalSterling t1_it3cvgx wrote

I wanna say denver hit like 90 in December last year and had a wildfire pop off before it snowed like 6" the next day

Edit: I was mistaken, or misremembered where it had the 90 degree figure from. Denver did spend most of last December well above freezing though

13

squeakycheetah t1_it2tan2 wrote

I'm north of you in Southern B.C. The wind hit this morning and it didn't smell like campfire when I took the dog out. The smoke is pretty much gone now and it's cloudy and cool instead of sunny and 20° already. Hopefully you guys are next and get some clean air today.

11

stupidpunname54 t1_it315js wrote

Wind will start picking up here around 10 or 11, i hope. Still sitting well over 200ppm in my area.

I haven't been able to run all week. I tried one day and it felt like I smoked all of my weed in one go. Enjoy the fresh air!

2

gburdell t1_it40u73 wrote

2015 was short sleeves weather well into October in Seattle

1

Cimatron85 t1_it39gq4 wrote

That’s because memories are notoriously known to be not accurate.

https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/seattle/month-october/monthly-average-temp

−7

stupidpunname54 t1_it3yfc8 wrote

And when I was a kid. The average temperature never reached 56.5 F. That is the current average temperature based off of the remaining highs and lows predicted for October.

The highest average during my child hood was 54.1F

So I think my memory, in this case, has served me well.

data source

Edit to add. 2014 saw 57f average. The highest in my lifetime. So this year ranks #2.

4

herbalhippie t1_it348cd wrote

This is amazing to me. I'm in Eastern WA just east of the mountains and looking out my front window it looks like I'm in a heavy fog bank. I checked the air quality here, it's 196. Seattle is freaking 217.

I grew up in Seattle and was in the area until 1998 and never once saw wildfire smoke. Now it's an every year occurrence.

On 10/5 our air quality was 345-Hazardous. Here's what it looked like.

https://imgur.com/Q17PM20

47

Shot_Presence_8382 t1_it8h4gt wrote

Down here in Vancouver, WA and air quality is horrible. It was 171 last time I checked and my daughter's school has done indoor recess and VPS has cancelled school sports and athletics or kept them indoors this week. There's like 4 fires burning nearby towards Washougal and Camas. The Nakia Creek fire was apparently started by some idiots in the woods and the police are looking for them - there's a far off picture of their vehicle.

3

countryguy-georgia t1_it44os2 wrote

I’m in Portland this suuuucks. I just got over a nasty cold, finally got all the congestion out and now the air is toxic lol. I have a headache and feel lethargic. Good day to binge TV!

3

TimDave t1_it4vz65 wrote

Yep, and this time, it was caused by a dry thunder storm we got... what... 2 and a half months ago?? It's been going on a while at Goat Rocks at least. It's been like hell to breathe these last few months. My 4th inhaler in 2 months is on its way to me now, and this is WITH Advair.

I'm honestly worried about how the hell I'm supposed to live around here in the future with asthma as bad as it is.

2

in-game_sext t1_it1gu45 wrote

"Air quality around Seattle*...right now...*ranked worst in the world"

Not a fucking chance this headline is true 99.9% of the rest of the time.

180

HelenAngel t1_it1jss9 wrote

It’s not- usually the air quality is excellent here. We just got hit with wildfires all around us, unseasonably warm & dry weather. We all have our fingers crossed that Friday will start our 6 months of rain

94

onlycatshere t1_it2a3fw wrote

It sucks we can't enjoy the last bits of nice weather and soak up that D, but right now we need the rain! 😫

14

nothingeatsyou t1_it2cn78 wrote

Let’s be real; you could probably still find D in Seattle if you looked hard enough

18

BacteriaEP t1_it2kj36 wrote

I don't think you need to cross your fingers. It's definitely hitting us in Portland tomorrow. Fall is making a late but dramatic entrance.

3

feral_brick t1_it2locn wrote

That's the whole point. Late wildfire season, with lots of fires smoldering in inaccessible areas, turned a normally high air quality place into the worst.

The wildfire season wasn't even bad, in terms of acres burned, but anecdotally I think the smoke was still pretty bad. Not the worst ever for sure, but not the best either (I think)

23

R_V_Z t1_it2ycdw wrote

2020 was worse, I feel.

6

AllNightWriting t1_it3ccp4 wrote

In 2020 the Portland Metro hit nearly 400. AQI hit black in some areas. But this is still horrible.

8

R_V_Z t1_it3ho1k wrote

I remember seeing pictures from Prince George. That place was legit Mordor in 2020.

4

thatnameagain t1_it3wilc wrote

2020 had more concentrated super-bad days but it wasn't a straight month of unhealthy air.

1

Delnac t1_it1vxdi wrote

Yeah I was thinking Really? when compared to places like Beijing or Delhi.

10

Baboofmagoo2 t1_it29qiw wrote

The AQI at my house yesterday was in the hazardous category. My moms inhaler stopped working and she had to get an emergency steroid shot. It’s awful

20

Delnac t1_it2wzg1 wrote

That's awful. I experienced a bit of that back when I was traveling in a pretty polluted city and I woke up feeling like I was suffocating, nearly in apnea because I'd left the AC on which was pumping in the polluted air in.

3

Threedawg t1_it36dem wrote

Especially considering those other countries are asleep..

2

Unconfidence t1_it48m7t wrote

Seriously I read this headline, and as a native of Baton Rouge, which is affectionately called "Cancer Alley", I was kinda taken aback. Glad to hear they're just discussing forest fire smoke and not like...chemical pollution from oil refineries.

2

Bigdogggggggggg t1_it2ay5e wrote

It was a few weeks ago as well, because I remember doing a we're number one chant with friends. Lolsob...

1

MsWumpkins t1_it1g9fm wrote

The entire state is trapped in a smoke plume.

170

AllNightWriting t1_it1hxel wrote

All the way through the entire Portland Metro, too. It’s huge. In my area it got to 176 AQI and in Portland proper, some places were well over 200. I hope the upcoming rain helps clear up our PNW skies and give the firefighters (and our lungs) some relief.

73

Alphamullet t1_it1ncs3 wrote

Hello neighbor. This sucks.

21

IAmTheNightSoil t1_it2tscj wrote

Yeah dude. It's fucking LATE OCTOBER. We are supposed to be way past this shit by now. Although I supposed "supposed to" is a problematic statement because really, until about the last five years this stuff didn't happen at all. There was no "smoke season" in the PNW when I was growing up here

23

AllNightWriting t1_it37zlt wrote

We should already have several inches of rain by now, too. I want autumn back.

12

IAmTheNightSoil t1_it52l5y wrote

No shit. Never in life growing up in the PNW did I EVER think that I would actually want summer to end and be cheering for the rain to set in. But here we are

3

SquizzOC t1_it2dse5 wrote

356 for us in Camas… in my home my eyes, throat and lungs are/were burning. It’s better today, but still horrible.

17

AllNightWriting t1_it37t7f wrote

God, that’s what it was like in summer 2020. Crossing my fingers today is the last day of this.

3

dingosaurus t1_it2e82w wrote

Spokane and the entire East side of the state is under a quality watch until Friday when we’re supposed to get some rain as well.

6

bendersmember t1_it529kp wrote

Lots of BC is the same, I'm in the interior so many hours drive from the border and it's been bad here too.

1

Kapowpow t1_it1itc2 wrote

The entire northwest. Oregon very bad also.

22

thevoidhearsyou t1_it24x72 wrote

Smoke plume? You sure Snoop Dog isn't in town.

>!Its a joke move along. !<

−16

TehFlygon t1_it1fqrw wrote

It is brutal here in Bellingham right now... Praying for this rain to clear it out on Friday

78

HelenAngel t1_it1jwh9 wrote

I’m in Redmond/Bellevue & it is brutal. My partner & I are struggling with massive inflammation. If it doesn’t rain on Friday, I will be so screwed.

32

TheGrandExquisitor t1_it1u63w wrote

Have a friend in Issaquah who is suffering because of the smoke. Stay inside people.

14

TSL4me t1_it2zpxv wrote

Get an ac filter from home depot and tape it to a box fan

https://youtu.be/hIuH-2naozI

If you want to go the extra mile buy a small carbon filter and fan from a weed growing shop for $100

13

HelenAngel t1_it3g37y wrote

Thanks for the advice!

2

TSL4me t1_it54s0e wrote

No problem, it saved my athsma in the california fires. Now I drop by any reddit sub about forest fires and mention the DIY filter.

3

Raziehh t1_it1ggvh wrote

Pretty sure this article headline could be changed to the state of Washington and it’d still be accurate.

Vancouver and it’s currently 180 on the AQI. This rain can’t come soon enough.

70

SquizzOC t1_it2dyai wrote

We hit 356 in Camas… it’s miserable.

8

jjmac t1_it2p2po wrote

A purple sensor is reading 370 a few blocks away from my house in Woodinville

7

CivilTax00100100 t1_it31ezt wrote

Is that the kind of level that affects your health? Maybe not now.. but later on?

1

chadenright t1_it3atsr wrote

-Everything- affects your health long-term. Living in vancouver right now...but it's way better than Bakersfield, California where basically everyone who stays there develops lung and nasal problems. Bakersfield has this kind of fungus in the soil which isn't usually a problem....until dust storms kick it into the air, people breathe it in and develop something called valley fever. Which was killing enough people that the nearby prison had to shut down; inmates kept dropping dead.

5

Kevin_Wolf t1_it3ixsk wrote

>Which was killing enough people that the nearby prison had to shut down; inmates kept dropping dead.

Which "nearby prison" are you talking about? As far as I can see, all of Kern County's prisons that have been open for years are still open. Kern has 5 or 6 state prisons. If one prison had inmates dropping from valley fever badly enough that they had to close, then they all would.

2

_sunday_funday_ t1_it2sugl wrote

It's been awful. Supposedly it's should rain tomorrow and we can get this cleared out some. I'm in Tacoma and its gotten so bad over the past few days.

9

EarnestWilde t1_it2wg6o wrote

We just got our first bit of rain up here in Whatcom County this morning, a day early! Hopefully you see some of it down your way. It's already doing wonders to clear the smoke from the air.

3

_sunday_funday_ t1_it2zg6j wrote

That's good news!! Glad y'all are getting some relief. Fingers crossed from some early downpour.

2

StormeeusMaximus t1_it2wgka wrote

My new neighbor across the street doesn't GAF. He's been burning stuff in his back yard for the past week. Not like we have enough smoke in the air already, he's gotta add to it. I guess the big Burn Ban sign at the entrance to our neighborhood wasn't big enough.

9

ZestyMoose-250 t1_it1gf7n wrote

Worse than China?! Now that's something..

8

Proregressive t1_it1llac wrote

China hasn't made the top list for a while now. Mostly cities in south asian countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

31

whatproblems t1_it1kwmt wrote

seriously can’t imagine having this shit on a daily basis.

2

onlycatshere t1_it28j5y wrote

To be fair, it isn't this bad everyday in smoke season. The weather seems to have a big affect on where it goes and how well it dissipates.

Everyone I talked with about it agreed that yesterday was the worst day of the year (so far). A couple years ago I feel like we had at least a couple weeks as severe as yesterday. Hopefully it's not like that again.

I'm seeing a few people outside wearing respirators, more than during the height of the pandemic. Working for an hour outside without a N95 yesterday was a poor choice and I'm still dead exhausted from it. Going from inside to out, it's instant coughing and stinging eyes for me, and while others feel that too, it seems like my body has less tolerance lol. Definitely going to wear my resp today

5

Meppy1234 t1_it2kh4w wrote

422 in darrington yesterday which is about an hour from Seattle.

6

herbalhippie t1_it36mwe wrote

Wow! I'm in the Wenatchee area and have only seen it that bad here once, I think it was 425. This was during the Wenatchee Complex fires in 2012.

1

MrsFonzerelli t1_it3hgls wrote

2 hours north of you, we hit 497 as a high. We're getting pummeled hard in this region.

1

Shoeprincess t1_it35syx wrote

I can't go in my yard right now, 20 years we have lived here and its NEVER been this bad. I can't believe I am saying it, but plz send rain ...

5

Toolazytocreate t1_it21vb4 wrote

What’s crazy is it was this bad in Eastern WA last year. Definitely gonna crack open a Rainer and drink in the rain hopefully Friday!!

4

optimaloutcome t1_it2m5ja wrote

Sorry, Seattle. It's my fault. Usually Northern California gets this treatment, so this year I sprung for a fancy HEPA indoor air filter (quite the upgrade from last year when I taped an HVAC filter to a box fan) so we had the best Sept/Oct air quality in a long time. Unfortunately, I also replaced the gutters on my house in January and it basically stopped raining too. Hopefully we'll get rain this year and no fires next year.

4

Kapowpow t1_it1ixms wrote

Everyone should be using Purple Maps (Google it or whatnot) instead of the AQI reading through your phone’s weather app; Purple Maps is far more accurate. By a mile.

3

turbo_nudist t1_it2udez wrote

purple maps showed the same number as apple weather for me, so i ended up just using that

3

The_specialist_angle t1_it2n2rd wrote

Fire season has been loooong this year. I cannot wait for rain.

3

zubbs99 t1_it3vydp wrote

I hate to say it but in the West fire season has been getting longer on average. In Cali they talk of basically a year-round fire season.

4

jschubart t1_it2ybvf wrote

AQI is in the high 200s where I am at in Seattle. That reminds me that I have to move my air purifier to the room I am in. If you are doing anything outside, you should be wearing an N95 mask.

3

ThornNyrSide t1_it2fatb wrote

Yep! My air quality app said 188 yesterday in the unhealthy category because 4 friends went shooting near a hiking trail in Camas and it burned 250 acres of forest. We're finally getting rain tomorrow though. The app is telling me the 200s now so very unhealthy air still.

2

Maxpowr9 t1_it2gam8 wrote

This is all Bouy's fault.

2

strdg99 t1_it40yxd wrote

I live about 35 miles east of Seattle. Air is filled with smoke and ash and its coating everything. You can see it floating in front of your face. Quarter-mile visibility. House is buttoned up tight with air purifiers running and it's still maxing out my air quality monitor.

Reminds of the smoke we had just a couple of years ago.

2

J4MES101 t1_it4i0qt wrote

Maybe that’s what’s causing the insomnia?

2

SirThatsCuba t1_it4obv8 wrote

My favorite thing about covid was making filtered masks available to like, everyone. I don't think I'd last another fire season without

2

nicetriangle t1_it60fjf wrote

Shit was absolutely brutal here today. I've never seen it this bad before. Visibility was insanely low and it just looked apocalyptic out there.

2

Pandatoke t1_it6e3sh wrote

We may get rain today! It’s been so long :(

2

J-MAMA t1_it7dv35 wrote

So glad I moved off of the west coast, dealing with that BS year after year was too much.

2

BlindLantern t1_it429kd wrote

Northwestern Pennsylvanian here, highs in the thirties and forties and snow during the week and then almost 70 this weekend.

1

Individual-Text-1805 t1_it4md9u wrote

Thank goodness it won't be like 2020 and the rain storm will start soon hopefully dosing the fires entirely.

1

Zealousideal-Comb970 t1_it522j6 wrote

I’m a fair bit northwest of Seattle and the fires so we don’t have it quite as bad, but it’s still pretty bad. Pretty much every outdoor activity has been cancelled for weeks and I’ve had an uptick in respiratory illnesses since bolt creek started, might not be the cause but it’s definitely not helping

1

Musicfan637 t1_it2zc6f wrote

The last few years the air has been better in SoCal than way up north. It’s sad. Now where do I go?

0

Chuccles t1_it332df wrote

You see china took ourra good air, and gave us the bad air

0

tictacbergerac t1_it9rm8m wrote

Wildfire is a normal and important part of the PNW ecosystem. It's unpleasant, but critical for our part of the country.

−1

robbycakes t1_it27dpu wrote

Southern California: YESSSSSSS!

−6

Anoobis_117 t1_it1m3ax wrote

Chinese aluminum workers: ☠️

−9