Hazy days of summer linger

Amid the calm haze that hovered over the Inland Northwest Wednesday, somewhere in the National Weather Service’s office, an alarm sounded every hour or so.

The loud beeping that hits about 12 times a day means that Tom Fugazzi and other meteorologists have been summoned by crews on distant fire lines to create a pinpoint forecast of a specific area.

“It’s our bread and butter in the summer,” Fugazzi said. “When the weather is nice and pleasant in the valleys, that’s often our most stressful time because we have to support these firefighters.”

While hundreds of thousands of acres burn in the Tripod and Columbia blazes near Winthrop and Walla Walla, smoke from those fires has been settling throughout the area, reducing the blue sky to a brown haze.

Smoke in the air Wednesday lowered Spokane’s air quality to the point that air pollution officials in both Washington and Idaho recommended people stay indoors.

If the haze weren’t enough, temperatures in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene reached 15 degrees above normal Monday and Tuesday, bringing an uncommonly warm start to September.

Typical highs hover in the mid-70s during this time of year, Fugazzi said.

Relief may be in store from the heat and haze. Though highs will remain in the low 90s until Friday, a storm is expected Saturday to blow away the stagnant air and lower temperatures into the mid-70s.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality decided Wednesday to ban open burning to try to curtail the pollution.

Air quality was expected to steadily improve through the week, said Lisa Woodard with the Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority.

Only one day with poor air quality was registered in all of 2005. But this summer, levels have already entered an unhealthy category twice, with the worst readings in August.

“We’ve had a really hazy summer this year,” Woodard said.

Though the storm may wash away the current smoke, it may also kick up the region’s fires and cause them to produce more smoke for next week, she said.

In September, SCAPCA also gets concerned about the possibility of choking dust storms.

Poor air quality can increase some people’s risk of asthma attacks or heart problems.

With hazy skies, Woodard said SCAPCA recommends that even healthy individuals limit their outdoor activities such as jogging. Idaho’s DEQ made similar recommendations Wednesday.

Though relief is likely in store Saturday, temperatures will begin a slow climb back into the 80s next week, Fugazzi said.