Smoky smell from Pacific Northwest wildfires

You may have been surprised to wake to a smoky smell on Wednesday morning. Fortunately, the smell wasn’t caused by a fire nearby. WDIO Storm Track meteorologist Brandon Weatherz says the cause is wildfire smoke in the atmosphere produced mostly by fires in the Pacific Northwest.

The cold front that passed Tuesday night to trigger our cold stretch of weather is what brought the smoke into the Northland.

Air quality was observed to be moderate Wednesday morning, indicating that there may be some health concern for people are unusually sensitive for health reasons. This includes people with heart and lung disease, older adults, children, people with diabetes. If you do find yourself with a sensitivity, you should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.

Air quality is not expected to be at concerning levels Wednesday. For additional details to fire locations and air quality, visit https://fire.airnow.gov/#