Poor air quality brought on by wildfires stretches from Vancouver to Tijuana

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The entire West Coast is suffering from unhealthy air quality caused by wildfires raging in California, Oregon and Washington.

The entire West Coast is suffering from unhealthy air quality caused by wildfires raging in California, Oregon and Washington.

Photo: AirNow.gov

Poor air quality brought on by wildfires stretches from Vancouver to Tijuana

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Plumes of smoke generated by wildfires raging in California, Oregon and Washington are responsible for unhealthy air quality that extends even beyond United States borders.

According to Canadian government agencies, the air quality index (AQI) in Vancouver, Canada was in the upper 190s Saturday morning, which is classified as “unhealthy” and bordering on “very unhealthy.” The Air Quality Index operates on a scale from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. An AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300 signals hazardous conditions.

Much further south, the air quality in Tijuana, Mexico Saturday morning was also classified as unhealthy with a recorded AQI of 177 on Swiss website IQAir.

For everyone living in between Vancouver and Tijuana, the same story. According to AirNow.gov, the air quality in Portland and Seattle is “very unhealthy,” with the two cities recording Saturday morning AQI values of of 293 and 219, respectively. Most regions in the San Francisco Bay Area saw AQI values between 175 and 185, and Los Angeles recorded an AQI of 157.

The largest West Coast city with the least harmful air quality was San Diego, which had a Saturday morning AQI of 118 (unhealthy for sensitive groups) on AirNow.gov.

In the Bay Area, a Spare the Air alert was extended through September 14 with smoke not expected to clear for a few more days.

“It’s going to be a slow progression of reduced smoke over the week,” National Weather Service meteorologist David King told SFGATE. “We’re starting to see winds slowly increase. Unfortunately, there is still going to be smoke in and around the Bay Area, and I’d expect it on Sunday as well.”

MORE WILDFIRE COVERAGE:

It’s going to get worse: California wildfires have already scorched a record 2.2 million acres

Will wildfire evacuations accelerate the spread of coronavirus in the Bay Area?

‘It’s just crazy’: Yosemite’s air quality forces massive cancellations

10 things to do if a wildfire is approaching your house

How to keep your pets safe from wildfire smoke

Eric Ting is an SFGATE reporter. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting