Wildfire smoke still impacting local air quality, national report says

Skagit, Whatcom counties, Bellingham among cleanest areas for ozone

||| FROM NORTHWEST CLEAN AIR AGENCY |||

Harmful fine particles in wildfire smoke continue to show impacts on air quality in northwest Washington, according to the annual national “State of the Air” report.

The American Lung Association’s 27th annual report includes data from the years 2022-2024. It includes information from the relatively smoke-free summer of 2024.

The “State of the Air” report takes a nationwide look at particle and ozone pollution – two common, widespread air pollutants that pose risks to people’s health.

Among the report’s conclusions: Skagit and Whatcom counties received overall “A” grades for ground-level ozone pollution, ranking them among the cleanest U.S. counties for ozone. And Bellingham ranked among the nation’s cleanest cities for ozone.

For 24-hour particle pollution, Whatcom County air quality received a “C” grade in this year’s report because of past wildfire smoke impacts. It received an incomplete grade for the annual particle standard because of incomplete data caused by a significant equipment failure at our Bellingham air quality monitor.

Skagit County also received a “C” grade for 24-hour particle pollution and a passing grade for the annual particle standard.

The report only uses data from specific kinds of monitors, so it does not include NWCAA data for Island County and some area cities. NWCAA data shows similar air quality trends in those areas.

NWCAA has air quality monitoring and sensor locations in Island, Skagit, and Whatcom counties. A monitor is being placed in San Juan County, in Friday Harbor, and the agency is planning to distribute sensors too. San Juan County was a founding member of NWCAA in 1967. The county withdrew in the early 1980s and rejoined NWCAA in July 2025.

The American Lung Association provides two different grades for particulate (smoke) pollution. The 24-hour grade is based on the smokiest days; the annual grade is based on how much smoke is in the air as a yearly average.

Mark Buford, NWCAA executive director, noted that wildfire smoke has impacted all Washington counties in recent years, leading to poor scores in daily averages throughout the state.

“This shows the importance of everyone doing whatever they can to limit the possibility of igniting a wildfire that produces smoke pollution,” Buford said.

He stressed that people who live and work in area counties generally enjoy good air quality.

“Local air quality would be in the ‘A’ range if wildfire smoke is factored out of our data. It’s very important to keep that in mind and to realize low 24-hour grades link directly to those harmful wildfire smoke events,” Buford said.

But residents still felt the impacts of wildfire smoke in recent years – and likely will continue to do so, Buford emphasized.

NWCAA works with local health officials, fire marshals, fire districts, and forest management agencies as they try to reduce wildfire risk and help people cope with wildfire smoke.

The agency continues working to protect and improve air quality through regulating pollution from industrial emissions, illegal burning, and other sources.

“Every single one of us can do something every day to protect the air we breathe. We greatly appreciate all the people and businesses who work hard to improve and protect our area’s air,” Buford said.

For air monitoring information, go to the Air Quality Center on NWCAA’s website, https://nwcleanairwa.gov. NWCAA also provides a variety of resources – tips, videos, fact sheets, and more – about how to prepare for and deal with wildfire smoke on the website’s Wildfire Smoke Information page. 

The Northwest Clean Air Agency is responsible for enforcing federal, state, and local air quality regulations in Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom counties. In addition to permitting and regulating industrial sources of air pollution, the agency provides services and information related to asbestos, outdoor burning, wood smoke and wildfire smoke, and air quality data. More information about the agency is available at https://nwcleanairwa.gov/.