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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Air probably unhealthy, but monitoring system down

The system that monitors air quality around the state quit reporting data Saturday after the Department of Ecology site failed, according to Lisa Woodard of the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. Spokane was blanketed by a smoky, dusty shroud Saturday and by late morning the air was considered unhealthy for persons with health concerns with an air quality index rating of 143. The air cleared briefly in the early afternoon before the smoke and dust returned. Some areas saw rain Saturday, but the showers were scattered and brief. There’s a better chance of rain today in Spokane and areas to the north, said Spokane National Weather Service forecaster Matt Fugacci. The rain could be a little as a tenth of an inch, however. “Any little bit helps at this point,” said Fugacci. The smoke is likely to linger but should not be as bad as it was Saturday, he said. “It’s exceedingly difficult to predict which days are going to be worse than other days,” he said. Saturday’s winds were about 30 miles per hour in the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area, with peak gusts of 48 miles per hour recorded at the Spokane Airport and 47 miles per hour at the Coeur d’Alene airport. The weather this week is expected to be cooler with occasional rain showers, particularly in the mountains, Fugacci said. That will help firefighters, but some wind is also expected off and on. “It’s kind of a good news, bad news situation,” Fugacci said.