Severe Weather Warning

Our region currently has an air quality alert in effect, from today through Wednesday.  The alert states "unhealthy air will become common across the area due to smoke from large wildfires in British Columbia and on the east slopes of the North Washington Cascades".  And when you go outside, you can unquestionably tell things are weird - hazy and smoky, and strangely dark with the sun and sunlight getting filtered out by the smoke.  My outside light turns on when I step outside, even though it is the middle of the day.  The air quality is so poor, and getting worse, that I don't even want to spend much time outdoors - should make for a good sunset tonight (which I won't see!).  Apparently it was worse whilst I was out of the country - if this is the new norm for summers in the Pacific Northwest, then that sucks.