Smoke Again Headed to Area, But It'll Be Less Severe Than Last Time

Posted

Smoke from fires in Northern California is headed our way and could be here by Tuesday night.

But don't freak out.

It won't be like before when thick smoke from active fires in Oregon blanketed Puget Sound for more than a week, shutting down the sun and giving us some of the worst air quality in the world.

The smoke, this time, will be high in the atmosphere and though it could have a slight impact on air quality for a short time, it shouldn't be here for more than a few days before it gets pushed further east, said Dustin Guy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.

"Whatever gets up this way will be pushed east fairly quickly," Guy said. "We're not looking at anything like what we had a few weeks ago."

That said, it's still too early to know what impact, if any, the smoke will have, he said.

"It may not have much effect at all other than a colorful sunset," he said.

The smoke is not expected to have much impact on temperatures, which are expected to be around 80 degrees Tuesday in some areas, such as Olympia, or the mid to high 70s in Seattle.



Guy said the chances for viewing the aurora borealis touted earlier this week have disappeared between the coming smoke and the now bright moon.

This week's warm stretch is courtesy of a strong ridge of high pressure and low-level offshore flow, according to the meteorologist Dana Felton.

Though not record-breaking, temperatures forecast for this week are expected to be well above Seattle's normal for this time of year. A high of 77 degrees is more typical of the stretch of summer between July 19 and Aug. 16.

The region has seen temperatures hit 80 degrees in late September and early October in the past, but it's atypical, the weather service said.

___

(c)2020 The Seattle Times

Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.