The National Weather Service has issued an air stagnation advisory for areas east of the Cascades until Friday at 4 a.m.

The advisory warns residents of poor air quality due to a temperature inversion and stagnant air conditions near the surface. The conditions can trap pollutants and state air quality agencies highly recommend that no outdoor burning occur and that residential wood burning devices — fireplaces and wood stoves — be limited as much as possible.

In Central Oregon the advisory impacts Bend, Redmond and Madras. It also impacts large areas of north Central Oregon and Northeast Oregon, south central and southeast Washington and the Columbia River Gorge.

The National Weather Service informs the public that air quality conditions can cause issues for people with respiratory problems. On Tuesday morning in Bend, at least one air quality detector was above 150 (unhealthy) although most measuring stations had AQI readings closer to 120 (unhealthy for sensitive groups).

Camden Plunkett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the result of the air stagnation is pollutants trapped near the ground, resulting in hazy skies.

Plunkett said the air will clear out during the weekend and a winter weather system could drop about a foot of snow at higher elevations. The snow level is expected to drop and around 1.5 to 3 inches of snow could fall between Sunday night and Tuesday across all of Central Oregon, from Warm Springs to La Pine.