Stay Inside Today: As Smoke From Nearby Wildfires Covers Portland, Air Quality Reaches Unhealthy Levels

Hazy conditions are likely to continue through Friday.

Fire response teams ("Northwest Incident Team #13") gathering at a Fire Camp in Joseph Stewart State Park near Medford, Oregon. (Josiah Q. Roe)
By Elise Herron

Portland woke up to a layer of smoke this morning, drifting in from wildfires burning Eastern Oregon and Southern Washington.

The National Weather Service forecasts that Portland air quality conditions could get worse this afternoon, even as temperatures rise toward 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Skies are predicted to remain hazy through the week.

Oregon isn't the only state suffering. An NWS satellite image show an expansive layer of smoke is currently covering Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho and Northern California.

Oregon Department of Air Quality advises vulnerable populations—elderly folks, children, people with lung and heart conditions— to stay indoors and keep windows shut. And according to DEQ's most recent air quality measurement, the excess of smoke in Portland air means "everyone may begin to experience health effects."

Oregon DEQ Air Quality Index map

To boot, temperatures are expected to reach 98 degrees Fahrenheit today, as Portland creeps toward breaking its all-time record for very hot summer days.

Related: Portland Approaches a Record Streak of 90-Degree Days as Pacific Northwest Fires Continue to Grow

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