Wildfire Smoke Heads To Seattle, Air Quality Effects Unclear

Skip to content By Christine Clarridge Seattle Times staff reporter

Here comes the smoke we’ve been dreading.

Winds from the north and northeast will bring smoke from fires in southern British Columbia and the North Cascades into the Puget Sound region Friday and Saturday, according to Jeff Michalski with the National Weather Service Seattle.

The question is how high it will be and whether much will get down to the surface, affecting air quality, he said.

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That’s not known right now, but air quality sites, including Puget Sound Clean Air and AirNow are monitoring the situation. On Thursday, air quality was listed as good throughout Western Washington.

Heat is expected in the region, with temperatures in the mid 80s on Friday and near 90 on Saturday and Sunday in Seattle. Dry conditions and wind are also forecast.

“[It’s] the perfect recipe for critical fire conditions,” Michalski said.

A red flag warning was issued for Friday and Saturday in much of Western Washington. The region does not currently have any large, active fires, he said, but if one starts, it could grow rapidly.

On Sunday, the wind direction is expected to change to westerly, meaning it would come off the Pacific Ocean. But that onshore flow is not expected to reach Seattle until Monday, Michalski said.

Michalski said NWS Seattle plans to monitor the forecast and air quality sensors into the beginning of next week.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or [email protected].

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