Air Quality Advisory Issued For Portland

PORTLAND, OR — An air quality advisory was issued on Sunday for parts of Southwest Washington, the northern Oregon Coast, much of the greater Willamette Valley, and the Portland metro area. Though the weekend was mostly clear across the region, conditions are expected to worsen and persist through Wednesday.

Air quality alerts for the Portland area were lifted late last week after much of the smoke dissipated, offering blue skies and a cool breeze over the weekend. By Monday morning, however, slowly creeping smoky overcast had returned to the region.

The latest advisory covers the following Oregon counties: Benton, Clatsop, Clackamas, Columbia, Hood River, Linn, Lincoln, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Washington, and Yamhill.

In Washington, the advisory applies to Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties.

Advisories previously issued for several Southern Oregon counties, which include Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath counties, remains in place. Lane County does not currently have an advisory issued, but increasing smoke in the area could alter conditions, officials said.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC) is currently tracking 25 large fires across Oregon and Washington, with the largest congregation of Oregon's fires currently burning in the state's north-central area, which includes Hood River, Wasco, Wheeler, and Gilliam counties.

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Oregon Department of Environmental Quality officials offered the following tips to protect yourself from smoke exposure:

• Be aware of smoke concentrations in your area and avoid the places with highest concentrations.
• Avoid strenuous outdoor activity in smoky conditions.
• If you have heart disease, asthma or other respiratory ailments, or are over 65, you have a higher risk of illness from wildfire smoke.
• Small children and pregnant women are also at increased risk. These residents are encouraged to stay indoors.
• People suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems should follow their breathing management plans or contact their healthcare providers.

To check the air quality in your area, visit the DEQ's online air quality index. And for more information on the state's active fires, check out the OregonSmoke Blog.

Image via Ashley Ludwig/Patch