Portland air becomes Unhealthy; closures reported

Portland’s air turned unhealthy on Thursday, Aug. 6, as wildfire smoke and heat settled over the city and the Willamette Valley, according to local broadcasters and Oregon air-quality officials. KATU reported that conditions in Portland and the valley fell from Moderate to Unhealthy, with the worst smoke near Mount Hood and cooler relief expected by Friday. Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality had already placed the Portland metro area under an air-quality advisory covering Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties because of smoke from multiple fires in Oregon and Washington. The poor air also disrupted daily schedules across the Portland-Vancouver metro area. KGW reported that cities, agencies and venues canceled or postponed events and closed facilities as officials urged residents to limit outdoor activity while smoke remained in place. KOIN reported Portland Parks & Recreation closed pools for all activities and canceled Free Lunch + Play sites and Fitness in the Park classes as air quality deteriorated. (katu.com) ### How bad did Portland’s air get? Portland reached an AQI of 159 on Wednesday, placing it in the “unhealthy” category, KOIN reported, citing IQAir. OPB reported Portland’s average AQI was 160 at 7 a.m. Wednesday and said the city was briefly ranked the worst in the world among the roughly 120 major cities tracked by IQAir. Oregon Public Broadcasting said the category breakdown is straightforward: 51 to 100 is Moderate, 101 to 150 is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, and 151 to 200 is Unhealthy. (kgw.com) That means the shift reported by KATU was not a marginal change but a move into the range where health agencies tell the broader public to cut back on exposure. ### Which areas were under the advisory? (koin.com) The Oregon Smoke Information Blog said on Aug. 3 that DEQ issued an advisory for the Portland metro area — Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties — because of smoke from multiple wildfires in Oregon and Washington. The advisory also covered other parts of the state, and DEQ said smoke levels could change rapidly depending on weather. (opb.org) KOIN reported the state advisory for smoke was expected to last until 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6. The station said much of Portland’s poor air was tied to the Grasshopper Fire east of Mount Hood, along with smoke from the broader Oregon fire season. ### What was closed or canceled? KGW reported National Night Out events were canceled or postponed in Portland, Hillsboro, Washougal, Gresham, La Center and Battle Ground as local governments cited smoke, heat, wind and dry conditions. (oregonsmoke.org) The station also reported Hillsboro’s Tuesday Night Market was canceled, Gresham postponed a youth futsal tournament set for Thursday, Aug. 6, and SOLVE’s “Pick it Up, Portland!” event planned for Thursday would be rescheduled. (koin.com) KOIN reported Portland Parks & Recreation shut pools and canceled several outdoor programs on Wednesday as smoke lingered. KPTV separately reported closures and cancellations across the Portland area as officials warned residents to use caution with outdoor activity. ### What were officials telling people to do? DEQ said smoke can irritate the eyes and lungs and worsen some medical conditions, with infants, young children, older adults, pregnant people and people with heart or lung disease at higher risk. (kgw.com) The agency advised residents to stay inside if possible, keep windows and doors closed, run air conditioning on recirculate, avoid strenuous outdoor activity and use HEPA filtration if available. (koin.com) The agency also said cloth, dust and surgical masks do not protect against harmful smoke particles, while properly fitted N95 or P100 respirators may help. OPB reported the National Weather Service also urged people to limit outdoor activity and keep children indoors if it was smoky. ### When was relief expected? KATU reported relief was expected by Friday as cooler conditions moved in. (oregonsmoke.org) KOIN meteorologist Kelley Bayern said a marine push of westerly winds would slowly thin smoke over Portland into Thursday, with “noticeably cleaner air and improved air quality” expected by Friday. Oregon DEQ said residents should keep checking current conditions on the Oregon Smoke Information Blog, the state Air Quality Index page and the OregonAir app as smoke levels shift. The state advisory cited by KOIN was set to run until 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, with local closures and event updates continuing to change by agency and venue. (oregonsmoke.org) (katu.com)