After days of discomfort, smoke and haze began clearing Thursday afternoon in the Vancouver-Portland area, but not before bringing some of the worst air quality of the year.
Thursday afternoon, the Washington Smoke Information blog’s map of conditions reported that the air quality in the Vancouver-Portland area had improved from “unhealthy” to “good.”
The improvement in the air quality was accompanied by cooler temperatures. Just before 4 p.m. Thursday, the temperature at Pearson Field in Vancouver was 72 degrees; it had been 90 at the same time on Wednesday.
According to the National Weather Service, a dry cold front moved into the area and caused prevailing winds to shift to the west. That pattern should continue today. Today’s forecast calls for a cloudy morning with a slight chance of showers, followed by afternoon sunshine.
