After a summer and early fall marked by heavy wildfire smoke blanketing communities across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, air quality across the Pacific Northwest is improving significantly as active fire perimeters shrink and fall rain events wash out smoke from the atmosphere.

For much of July through September 2026, smoke from wildfires — both regional fires and those from as far away as Canada and California — pushed air quality in many Northwest communities to unhealthy or hazardous levels on repeated occasions. The 2026 fire season’s extraordinary scale (over 2.1 million acres burned in Oregon alone) made it one of the smokiest summers in recorded history for parts of the region.

Current Conditions

As of early October, wildfire smoke across the Pacific Northwest is largely localized to areas near active fire perimeters, according to fire monitoring data. With cooler fall weather settling across the region and active fire behavior reduced to smoldering and creeping, smoke plumes are significantly less intense than at the height of the season.

The primary remaining smoke source in Washington State is the Sisi Fire near Stehekin, which continues to produce light smoke in the Lake Chelan area under calm morning conditions. In Oregon, mop-up operations at the Grasshopper and Austin fires on the Mt. Hood National Forest may produce intermittent smoke during prescribed and mop-up burning.

Health Guidance for Lingering Smoke

Even as overall air quality improves, state and local health agencies remind residents that smoke from smoldering wildfires can still affect sensitive groups:

  • People with asthma, COPD, or cardiovascular disease should monitor air quality daily at AirNow.gov
  • On days when AQI exceeds 100, sensitive individuals should limit outdoor exertion
  • N95 or KN95 respirators provide effective protection when outdoor exposure is unavoidable
  • Running indoor air purifiers with HEPA filters can significantly reduce indoor smoke exposure

The Bigger Picture: A Smokier West

Research published in recent years has documented a long-term trend toward smokier summers in the western United States, driven by the interaction of climate-driven fuel dryness, larger and more frequent wildfires, and shifting weather patterns. Scientists at the University of Washington and other institutions have found that smoke exposure in the Northwest has increased substantially over the past two decades.

Public health officials expect the trend to continue, underscoring the importance of community-level preparedness — including access to clean air shelters, personal protective equipment, and air filtration resources — as a long-term feature of Northwest life.

Resources

  • AirNow.gov — Real-time air quality index by zip code
  • Washington Department of Ecology — Smoke forecast and air quality data (ecology.wa.gov)
  • Oregon DEQ Air Quality — (oregon.gov/deq)
  • Northwest Clean Air Agency — (nwcleanairwa.gov)