Air quality readings spiked Monday, Aug. 31, reaching the “unhealthy” level in parts of Eugene and Springfield.

Easterly and northerly winds, combined with the region’s terrain, funneled smoke from fires near Mount Hood into the Eugene and Springfield metro area.

“We had kind of a perfect storm,” said Matt Sorensen, a spokesperson for the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency.

Air quality is measured on the Air Quality Index scale from 0 to 500, with higher numbers indicating worse conditions. The “unhealthy” range, between 150 and 200, indicates that everyone may begin to experience health effects. Residents should limit light outdoor activity and move indoors to cleaner air if they experience symptoms.

Much like last week, the smoke wafts came from, most notably, the Austin Fire south of Mount Hood, which grew by more than 1,000 acres over the weekend and still sits at 0% containment, according to InciWeb.

“We were not anticipating this level of intrusion based on this morning’s models,” Sorensen said. “But Mother Nature does what she will do, and we are looking at a major smoke contributor.”

With westerly winds, cooler temperatures and a potential for rain on the horizon, Sorensen expects this smoke to clear out as early as late Monday afternoon.

“We’re having rain coming sometime late Tuesday into Wednesday, which could help, so we’ll have to see how that plays out,” Sorensen said. “Certainly, don’t anticipate the end of fire season by any means, but it could be helpful for firefighters on the ground.”