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Elevated Fire Risk Continues In Inland NW On Tuesday

Courtesy of National Weather Service

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for much of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. That’s in effect through Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Spokane County’s air quality is listed as moderate this morning and it’s expected to remain there for a few days. This despite times when it looks like haze is blanketing the air.

Lisa Woodard from the Spokane Clean Air Agency says much of that haze was from fires in Oregon and Idaho but it had little effect on the quality of Spokane’s air.

"Conditions aren't always what you might think they may be based on what you're seeing," she said. "It's important to know sometimes smoke can be aloft, above us. It can look hazy out, but when you're looking at the ground level monitors, they may not be as impacted as what you would see if you were in the upper level. I think it's just important to check it, and plan accordingly because conditions change quite rapidly."
 
Woodard warned that fires that may have been started by lightning Monday night could eventually lead to degraded air quality around the region. She says the haze may also hang around as it did yesterday.

Much of the region has a slight chance of thundershowers on Tuesday morning, though little, if any, rain is expected. High temperatures will be in the mid-80s to low-90s on Tuesday, cooling by several degrees on Wednesday and Thursday.