Stagnant Air Advisory Gets an Extra Week, by Popular Demand

Seattle and its stagnant blanket of air (Photo: MvB)

Yesterday I pulled off the bike trail to take a picture of the blindingly beautiful afternoon in Seattle: The mountain was out, the sun was setting in the west, and all looked pristine.  But upon closer inspection, a troubling band of brown air appeared hovering over Seattle and southward. The high pressure system locked in place above us is responsible for a lot of things: morning fog, pesky low clouds, and also degrading air quality. (KIRO’s Sam Argier explains “stagnant air” for you, here.)

The National Weather Service in Seattle has just extended its air stagnation advisory until this Friday at 4 p.m. (it was set to expire today at 7 p.m.):

AIR QUALITY…A PROLONGED PERIOD OF STAGNANT ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THIS WEEK. THIS WILL TRAP POLLUTANTS NEAR THE SURFACE AND CAUSE AIR QUALITY TO GRADUALLY DEGRADE AS LONG AS STAGNANT CONDITIONS PERSIST. [...] PERSONS WITH RESPIRATORY ILLNESS SHOULD FOLLOW THEIR PHYSICIANS ADVICE FOR DEALING WITH HIGH LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION.

Puget Sound Clean Air currently rates King and Kitsap county air at moderate, Pierce and Snohomish at unhealthy for sensitive groups. South of Seattle, Duwamish Valley and South Park have troubles with air quality year ’round, and this is just piling on. Most of Seattle proper is still within the Good range, with Beacon Hill claiming the best air.

Despite this, there is no burn ban in effect yet for King and Kitsap, though Pierce and Snohomish are at Stage One.

Where is our oxygen bar when we need it most?