Alisha Roemeling, Saerom Yoo, Laura Fosmire, and Carol McAlice Currie

Statesman Journal

Updated 10:35 a.m. Tuesday:

According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the air quality index in the Willamette Valley has improved significantly since Monday evening.

By 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, the air quality rating was listed as "good," a green index level in Salem and the surrounding areas. This is an improvement from Monday, when the air quality was listed as "unhealthy," at a red index level.

According to officials with the National Weather Service, air quality in the Salem area will improve with the help of slight southwest winds moving the smoky air out of the Willamette Valley.

"Overnight we had a wind shift, which will help keep smoke over the mountains and away from the central valley area," said Laurel McCoy, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service Portland office. "Any smoke that's still lingering should be out of the area by this evening."

With an expected high of 78 degree Fahrenheit Tuesday, winds will pick up to about 10 miles per hour later in the afternoon.

Updated 4:55 p.m Monday:

Dozens of outdoor events were canceled or redirected this afternoon as smoke from a fire near Estacada remained trapped in the Mid-Valley.

Jay Remy, a spokesman for the Salem-Keizer School District said all of the local schools had been directed not to allow students to participate in rigorous outdoor activity.

"This means no full practices," Remy said. "We will allow 20 minutes or less of outdoor walk-throughs, but no strenuous athletic practices."

He said parents were also given the option to excuse their students due to health concerns, and schools were advised to review their health protocols, and pay special attention to students with asthma or other health conditions that could be exacerbated by smoky air.

"We're urging people to err on the side of safety," Remy said.

Angela Jones, web master for Salem Academy Christian Schools, confirmed that all campuses had canceled all athletic events (games and practices) for the day due to the state Department of Environmental Quality's listing the air in the Salem area as being "unhealthy," a red index level.

The school's web site advised that varsity football would review films indoors while JV football would meet in the cafeteria for a walk through. Boys' soccer planned to meet in a coach's room and the cross country team dinner would go on as scheduled. The Secondary Back-to-School Night was also unaffected, with a 6:15 p.m.start time.

The Jefferson School District advised on its website that due to poor air quality, "today's after-school sports activities may be limited or canceled."

The Capital Futbol Club of Salem canceled all of its soccer training for the evening, said Collin Box, the club's director of coaching.

The trainings normally take place from 4:30 to 8 p.m., and Box said about 700 boys and girls aged three to 18 would be affected by the cancellation.

For additional and up-to-date information about the current air quality throughout the state, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Updated: 1:23 p.m. Monday:

Salem continues to be filled with smoke well into the day Monday, with forecasters warning that poor air quality won't dissipate until the evening.

According to the National Weather Service, increasing southwesterly winds overnight should help scour smoke from the Willamette Valley, instead blowing it toward Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environmental Quality continues to rank Salem's current air quality as "unhealthy for sensitive groups."

Updated: 7:45 a.m. Monday:



The Willamette Valley will likely see a repeated day of thick smoke and haze on Monday as weather conditions and regional wildfires are expected to continue.

The National Weather Service is reporting that smoke from the 36 Pit wildfire near Estacada will continue to impact areas of northwest Oregon.

But by Monday night, forecasters expect shifting winds to push the smoke out of the area.

RELATED: Estacada fire consumes more than 1,000 acres

A red flag warning also will remain in effect until 5 a.m. Tuesday due to low humidity and critically dry areas.

According to the Department of Environmental Quality's air quality index, air quality in Salem continues to be categorized as "unhealthy for sensitive groups," and air quality in Silverton has been ranked as "moderate."

Original story from Sunday

Thick smoke and haze seen in the Willamette Valley on Sunday afternoon was not due to a nearby fire, but certain weather conditions and winds that blew smoke southward from a wildfire near Estacada. And Monday will be just as smoky for the Mid-Valley.



According to Marion County Fire officials, the smoke in Salem and the surrounding areas is due to the combination of a temperature inversion, and the smoke from multiple fires burning across the state.

The majority of the smoke seen in the Willamette Valley is coming from a 200-acre wildfire burning in near Estacada, approximately 30 miles northeast of Wilsonville.

"A fire burning in Estacada yesterday as well as fires further south are contributing to the smoke," said Mike Gotterba, a public information officer with the City of Salem. "There are currently no local fires that are burning."

National Weather Service meteorologist Colby Neuman said a temperature inversion occurred Saturday night, trapping the smoke from the wildfire rather than allowing it to rise and dissipate. Then on Sunday, the winds sent the smoke down toward Corvallis and Salem.

Neuman said a "near repeat" of the phenomenon can be expected Monday. But by Monday evening, winds from the coast should clear the air, he said.

According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality website, Salem's air quality Sunday was rated as "unhealthy," the worst among the other cities being tracked around the state. Silverton's air quality was "unhealthy for sensitive groups."

