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QuickTake:
The air quality index has climbed to the upper end of the moderate range, inching toward "unhealthy for sensitive groups" as wildfire smoke drifts into the valley.
People in Eugene and Springfield woke up to hazy skies Wednesday, July 22, with some areas pushing toward unhealthy air quality levels for people who are sensitive to smoke.
Air quality is measured on the Air Quality Index, or AQI scale, from 0 to 500, with higher numbers indicating worse conditions and signaling hazardous air. Moderate conditions run up to 100, after which air becomes unhealthy for sensitive groups — including people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and pregnant people.
Lane Regional Air Protection Agency monitors registered an AQI of 85 in north Eugene and 83 in Springfield at 8 a.m. Data for the last 24 hours shows air quality worsened Tuesday around noon, peaked around 6 p.m. at 97, and took a slight dip into the evening. On Wednesday morning the AQI ticked up again.
Twenty-six large wildfires are burning throughout the state, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. The fires have become a source of smoke for counties in southern and eastern Oregon, prompting air quality advisories from the Department of Environmental Quality.
Lane Regional Air Protection Agency is not anticipating an air quality advisory, according to spokesperson Matt Sorensen.
The threshold for a full advisory is 24 hours or longer above the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” level or higher. The agency sometimes will issue intermittent advisories for shorter windows — up to 8 hours — when the AQI is expected to reach the 100 threshold, but not sustain it for a full 24 hours.
Last week, smoke from the 15,000-acre East Evans Creek — burning about 26 miles north of Medford — began creeping into Lane County. That smoke was high in the atmosphere, posing no serious health threats.
Winds have so far kept the bulk of the East Evans Creek smoke to the south, out of the Willamette Valley. Smoke rolling in this week is likely coming from central Oregon, according to Sorensen. The Akawa Butte Fire has burned more than 19,000 acres north of Sisters.
National Weather Service meteorologists expect westerly winds to pick up starting today and into the weekend, which should help improve air quality in the southern Willamette Valley.
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