Spokane shrouded in smoke

The smoke could clear by midweek thanks to cooler temperatures and cleaner west winds, according to a National Weather Service report Sunday. But until then, hazy conditions are expected to continue through the early part of next week, according to a KHQ weather report, and fire alerts will be active due to gusting winds of up to 40 mph.

Section:Gallery

Mon., Aug. 20, 2018

Steel Orr wears a mask while cutting grass in Spokane on Monday, Aug. 20, 2018. Spokane’s air quality early Monday was the worst in the nation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

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A train crosses over I-90 and High Bridge through the smoke in Spokane on Monday, August 20, 2018. Spokane’s air quality early Monday was the worst in the nation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Birds fly over wheat fields through the smoke on Parvin Road near Pullman, Wash. on Aug. 20, 2018. The air quality was worst in the north and was less unhealthy in the south of the state.

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The U.S Pavilion and Clock Tower, are shrouded in the heavy smoke blanketing the region.

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Matt Jackson makes his way east on Cataldo Avenue, Sunday, Aug, 19, 2018 near downtown Spokane. Jackson started the day intending to take a long bicycle ride but had to go to REI to purchase a bandana to cover his face for the ride home as smoke blanketed the region.

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A vehicle drives by a grain elevator on Cashup Flats near Thorton, Wash. on Aug. 20, 2018. The level of particulates in the air fluctuated all day, but the smoke stayed, leaving reduced visibility.

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Cows on a farm in Rosalia, Wash. are seen through smoke on Aug. 20, 2018. Most of Washington state was hit with smoke from wildfires, and as winds from Canada blew south, air quality in the state grew worse.

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Windmills in Whitman County are hardly visible through dense smoke on Aug. 20, 2018. During the day, the sun couldn't be seen and there were no distinguishable clouds, only a textureless wall of smoke that stretched down to the horizon.

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Hazardous levels of smoke shroud the Steam Plant smokestacks in downtown Spokane, Monday morning, Aug. 20, 2018.

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Thick smoke blankets the Monroe Street Bridge, The Spokane Club and downtown Spokane, Wash, Aug. 19, 2018.

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A thick haze of wildfire smoke blankets Colfax, Wash. on Aug. 20, 2018. Most of Washington state was hit with smoke from wildfires, and as winds from Canada blew south, air quality in the state grew worse.

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The Spokane County Courthouse is barley visible through a heavy layer of smoke, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2018. D

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"The last few summers have been like this, " said Jim Eggart of Walla Walla as he fished through the smoky air at Hauser Lake with his wife Julie on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. The Eggart's have a summer home on Hauser.

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A cyclist makes his way past Lake Coeur d'Alene through smoky skies on Friday, Aug. 17, 2018.

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Dan Schnell, left, and his walking partner, Bill McElroy, wearing the mask, head west on the Centennial Trail in Kendall Yards during a smoky noon hour, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018, in Spokane, Wash. Schnell and McElroy ventured 3-4 miles. We walk everyday that starts with T, said Schnell.

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