Variety of Smoke, Heat, Fire Alerts Around Oregon - Makes Its Way to Coast

Updated 08/04/2026 at 9:55 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Portland, Oregon) – UPDATES -- This morning, sunrise in Portland was really kind of creepy. See above and see the video.

About 6:30 a.m. it popped up over the West Hills: a gigantic, deep orange / red ball just smothered in westbound smoke and haze. Oregon Coast Beach Connection caught a couple of minutes of it from SW Portland.

It's a preview of what's coming – and this was during the stage where Portland air was still in the moderate category. That's not expected to last.

If you're thinking of getting away from the smoke by heading to the Oregon coast, it's even infiltrated that area. Granted, it's not nearly as bad as eastern Oregon or even Portland and the Willamette Valley, but the northern half of the coast has already been registering moderate levels of pollutants. The Washington coast is largely free of pollutants, however.

You can still, however, get away from the stifling heat.

Most of inland Oregon and SW Washington are bracing for temps well into the 90s, with some southern Oregon areas possibly hitting over 110 degrees.

Air quality has been a serious issue near the wildfires in central and eastern Oregon and Washington, but now it's about to get problematic farther west as winds shift that direction until Wednesday.

Air quality alerts have been issued for the valley through SW Washington, as well as areas like Leavenworth, Bend or Spokane where the air is just nasty.

A sampling of just some of the alerts:

Air Quality Alerts - Valley, Metro Areas. Smoke alerts have been extended. "The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency have issued an Air Quality Advisory, which is in effect until further notice," the NWS said.

The Southwest Clean Air Agency and Oregon DEQ have issued an air quality advisory for much of Washington, in effect until noon Wednesday, as regional wildfire smoke is expected to push pollution into unhealthy ranges at times. Officials warn that smoke can irritate eyes and sinuses, worsen heart and lung diseases, and trigger other serious health problems, urging residents to limit outdoor activity, keep children indoors when smoky, and follow medical guidance for existing conditions.

Northwest Oregon / Southwest Washington – Heat Advisory
Forecasters have backed off the estimates of high of 95 to 100 degrees a little. Most areas of this alert won't get over the low 90s because of smoke. However, warm overnight lows will persist from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday night in areas like Portland, Salem, Vancouver, Silverton, etc., increasing the risk of heat-related illness for anyone without adequate cooling.

Western Columbia River Gorge – Red Flag Warning
Dry weather and strong easterly winds up to 38 mph will create critical fire-weather conditions from late Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening, with rapid fire spread possible in Zone 636.

Pacific Northwest Weather | Oregon, Washington, Coastline (see NW from space) |---| Washington Coast Weather |---| Oregon Coast Weather |---| Inland Oregon Weather

Klamath–Lake – Air Quality Advisory
Smoke will keep air quality at unhealthy levels through Wednesday afternoon, and sensitive groups are advised to limit outdoor activity.

“Wildfire smoke continues to increase west of the Cascades over far northwest Oregon and southwest Washington, which may limit high temperatures by approximately 1-3 degrees,” the NWS said. “However, temperatures will still be hot enough to bring an increased risk of heat-related illnesses even if temperatures are dampened a few degrees from smoke.”

The southern coast – south of Coos Bay – is where you'll want to be to get away from all things smoky and hot. Even Brookings, often a hotspot, down south, is sitting at a cool 68 degrees today. Little to no smoke is expected from Reedsport southward.

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