The Terrible Air Quality in Seattle

It’s been a dry season here in Seattle so far; we usually have four more inches of rain than we had this year. Wildfires happen frequently due to the arid conditions, and without rain to extinguish them, the smoke from the fires has drifted to Seattle.

In the week of October 17th, 2022, air quality in Seattle reached the top of the charts, becoming the most polluted city in the world for multiple days in a row. Our Air Quality Index (AQI) also surpassed overpopulated cities in China, India, and Pakistan. The AQI lingered around two hundred, and at extremes, reached even up to three hundred, making it unhealthy to go outside. 

The main contributor to this terrible air quality is the Bolt Creek Fire, which, as of October 19, was 43% contained and blazed through 14,713 acres of land. Another fire that played a big role in the smoke was the Nakia Creek Fire. On October 18th, the fire had only been 5% percent contained when it jumped from 150 to 1,800 acres in a matter of two days. 

Thankfully, the weather forecast predicted an end to this terror—the first rain, on October 21, 2022. Almost immediately, the AQI dropped from 240 to around 40, and people were able to go outside and walk on the streets again without inhaling smoke-filled air.

Who knew that the rainiest city in the U.S. would become so desperate that they would wish for the one thing that they’re known for?