Hard to See, Hard to Breathe: U.S. West Struggles with SmokeTop Stories

August 21, 2018 11:48
Hard to See, Hard to Breathe: U.S. West Struggles with Smoke

(Image source from: Arizona Daily Sun)

Across the United States West, the wildfire smokes clogged sky, from Oregon to Colorado blotting out mountains and city skylines, flight delays and forcing the government to warn even healthy adults in the Seattle area to remain indoors.

For the second summer in a row, since big metropolis dealt with unhealthy air, experts warned that it could get much common as the American West faces bigger and more annihilative wildfires due to heat and drought blamed on climate change.

It was impossible to see nearby mountains as Seattle's Space Needle was swathed in a haze. Oregon, Portland saw a blood-red sun shrouded in smoke and huffed their way through another day of polluted air.

Due to deep fume, some Colorado's famed mountains were blocked from the view.

Colin Shor, whose favorite things about working in the Denver area is the view of the high peaks to the west, but that was all but gone Monday said: "Not being able to see the mountains is kind of disappointing, kind of sad."

Forest fires are common, but typical Seattle-area weather pushes it out of the way quickly. The latest round of prolonged smoke happened as hot temperatures and high pressure collided, said Andrew Wineke, a spokesman for the state Ecology Department's air quality program.

The Federal Aviation Administration said airplanes bound for the Sea-Tac International Airport, Seattle's main airport, may be delayed because of low visibility.

In Spokane, air quality slipped into the "hazardous" reach. A thick haze hung over Washington's second-largest city, forcing vehicles to turn on their headlights during the morning transpose.

According to the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, the air quality was so bad that everyone, regardless of physical condition or age, will likely be affected.

The wind blew smoke from several wildfires in California into the San Francisco Bay Area, where haze led the regime to issue an air quality advisory through Tuesday. They recommended citizenry to avoid driving to bound additional pollutants in the air and advised those with health problems to cut down time outdoors.

By Sowmya Sangam

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