A change in wind direction is carrying wildfire smoke from blazes burning in northern Oregon down into the Willamette Valley. Air quality readings in portions of Lane County have climbed to “moderate” levels, which could be noticeable to people who are especially sensitive to pollution.
The Air Quality Index, or AQI, uses a color-coded scale that runs from 0 to 500, with higher numbers reflecting worse conditions. Dark red on the scale represents hazardous air quality. Values up to 100 fall within the “moderate” range.
The hazy conditions are expected to linger in the valley overnight and into Tuesday morning. Smoke should dissipate as winds shift back to the west later in the day, according to Matt Sorenson, spokesperson for the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency.
The source of the smoke is the Austin and Grasshopper fires, both significant active wildfires in the Mount Hood National Forest region. The Grasshopper Fire started roughly a month ago and has scorched more than 93,000 acres, the U.S. Forest Service reported.
The Austin Fire, which started a few weeks back, has burned over 5,000 acres and remains at 7% containment.
Counties north of Lane , Clackamas, Marion, Linn and Multnomah , will see the heaviest smoke impact.
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