8-14-2018
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Air quality across Washington has taken a nosedive into unhealthy territory for much of the state and even hazardous along the east side of the Cascade Mountains.
Whatcom County’s hazy skies rank from “unhealthy for sensitive groups” in the Lynden and Custer area to “unhealthy” in Bellingham and Maple Falls, according to the Department of Ecology.
The worst air quality, considered “very unhealthy” or “hazardous,” is down the middle of the state from the Okanogan National Forest, where a wildfire is burning, down to the Yakama Indian Reservation.
Conditions aren’t expected to get better in western Washington until later Tuesday and early Wednesday as the National Weather Service forecasts air coming in from the shore.
Residents are urged to stay indoors and avoid intense outdoor work or exercise.