Outdoor enthusiasts in the Northwest may need to hunker down for a while as smoke continues to spread in parts of Washington and Oregon. N-W-P-B’s Rachel Sun spoke to experts about what to expect, and how to reduce your health risks.
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Melissa Constanzer [CON-stan-zer] is a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. She says a change in winds as early as Wednesday could bring some wildfire smoke relief along the I-5 [eye-five] corridor.

CONSTANZER1: “ So places like Tacoma will start to improve some of that air quality as well.” 

But for those east of the Cascades, it could take longer for that smoke to leave.

CONSTANZER2: “The challenge is we really can't clear the air quickly enough to get rid of that smoke. So the smoke factor will remain as long as the fires are burning.”

Public health experts say people should avoid strenuous activity in smoky conditions. If you do need to be outdoors, a well-fitted N-95 respirator can help reduce exposure.

I’m Rachel Sun, reporting.