Whatcom County earned a "C" grade for 24-hour particle pollution in the American Lung Association's 27th annual "State of the Air" report, released this week. The grade reflects the ongoing toll of wildfire smoke on northwest Washington's air quality, even in years when summer skies stay relatively clear. The report analyzed air quality data from 2022 through 2024, a period that included both heavy smoke years and the comparatively calm summer of 2024.
The Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA), the local authority responsible for monitoring and regulating air pollution across Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties, released the findings alongside the national report. The agency noted that Whatcom County's Bellingham monitoring station experienced significant equipment failure during the study period, resulting in incomplete data for the annual particle pollution standard and leaving that category without a grade.
The news was not all bad. Whatcom and Skagit counties both received "A" grades for ground-level ozone pollution, placing them among the cleanest counties in the United States for that measure. Ozone pollution, which forms when sunlight reacts with vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, has remained low in the region thanks to its relatively sparse heavy industry and prevailing marine air patterns off Puget Sound.
Particle pollution tells a more complicated story. Fine particles from wildfire smoke can travel hundreds of miles from burning areas in eastern Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, settling over Bellingham and the surrounding valley. When smoke events occur, residents with respiratory conditions, the elderly, and children face elevated health risks even on days when the sky looks hazy but not dramatically smoky.
The NWCAA says it continues working to protect and improve local air quality through regulation of industrial emissions, illegal burning, and other pollution sources. The agency also coordinates with local health officials, fire marshals, fire districts, and forest management agencies to reduce wildfire risk where possible. Residents can check AirNow.gov for current air quality readings in Bellingham.
The equipment failure at the Bellingham monitoring station is notable for residents and health advocates. Without reliable continuous data from that sensor, officials have less visibility into day-to-day particle levels across the city. Accurate local air quality readings depend on that infrastructure functioning correctly.
Whatcom County sits in a bowl-shaped valley surrounded by the Cascade foothills to the east and the San Juan Islands to the west. During wildfire seasons, atmospheric inversions can trap smoke in the valley floor for days at a time, pushing particle concentrations well above safe levels. Bellingham's geography makes it more vulnerable to smoke accumulation than communities with more open topography.
The American Lung Association's full report is available at lung.org/research/sota. Residents with respiratory concerns are encouraged to check air quality forecasts before spending extended time outdoors, particularly as the region enters the late spring and summer months when wildfire season historically ramps up across the Pacific Northwest.
The NWCAA recommends that Whatcom County residents sign up for air quality alerts through AirNow and have a plan for staying indoors during smoke events. More information on the agency's local monitoring network is available at nwcleanairwa.gov. Related local coverage on the Whatcom County drought declaration and emergency management briefing is available here.
