SEATTLE — Wildfires burning in Eastern and Central Washington aren’t the only factors causing our hazy skies, it’s also due to a massive fire burning in Russia.
This is not the first time it’s happened. Fires in the Siberian area of Russia are usually quite severe by this time of year and 2019 is no exception, according to NASA experts.
Scientists said they have seen an “unprecedented” number of fires across this wilderness area in Russia since June. The smoke from those fires is now drifting into our region and Canada.
“Those are very vigorous fires,” said Dr. Santiago Gasso, NASA scientist and University of Washington graduate.
“They’re very intense and have a lot of energy, which injects the smoke really, really high, we’re talking 30,000 feet,” explained Dr. Gasso. “At that height, there are very strong winds that carry the smoke all the way to the trans-Pacific and all the way to the western United States.”
More than 7 million acres of remote forest is burning across six Siberian and Far East regions, according to NASA. The fallout from these fires is the smoke that comes with them.
All smoke can be hazardous, especially for the young and elderly.
People can keep an eye on the air quality on the Washington Department of Ecology website. Seattle’s air quality is currently good to moderate depending on the location.
