Due to multiple wildfires in the Cascades and a long dry season, smoke in the air caused unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality in the Puget Sound region, and on Oct. 19 air quality was listed as the worst in the world.

The Bainbridge Island School District canceled outdoor sporting events “due to the unhealthy air quality index for our region.”

On Oct. 20, an air quality alert for smoke was in effect through midnight by several regional clean air agencies and the state Department of Ecology cautioned everyone, especially sensitive groups, to limit time spent outdoors.

Washington State Ferries continued to shuttle passengers back and forth from Bainbridge Island to Seattle, and their fog horns warning other boats could be heard often in the vast white nothingness.