Air quality continued to improve overnight as showers and thunderstorms brought much needed rain to the region.
Readings for fine particulate pollution (PM 2.5) from wildfire smoke was 35 in Vancouver as of 7 p.m. That level is in the “good” range; on Thursday morning, the region’s air was 383, still considered “hazardous.”
In Yacolt, air quality was at 29 as of 7 p.m., also in the “good” range. Levels at 100 or below are considered “moderate,” and levels of 50 and below are considered “good.”
The National Weather Service is maintaining an air quality advisory until 6 p.m. Saturday. A smoke forecast from the Washington Department of Ecology is predicting air quality to remain unhealthy for sensitive groups in western Clark County and moderate elsewhere in Southwest Washington on Saturday.
The Southwest Clean Air Agency extended its air pollution advisory through Saturday, saying that while rain and improving conditions reduced air pollution levels significantly overnight and conditions are expected to continue to improve, some unhealthy conditions and smoke may continue to linger into the weekend.
A weather observation station at Pearson Field in Vancouver showed mist arriving just before 1 a.m. followed by a thunderstorms around 3:15 a.m. and 4 a.m. mixed in with light to heavy rain. Visibility, which had been less than a mile for days, had improved to four miles as of about 7 a.m. winds have been generally light, up to 7 mph.
The forecast calls for showers and a possibility of thunderstorms after 11 a.m. with patchy smoke and showers continuing through tonight. Winds will pick up in the afternoon before calming overnight.
Showers and party sunny skies are forecast for Saturday and mostly sunny skies Sunday.
