Yep, that’s smoke up there.
But hang on. That southerly smoke, which came in from Oregon and California fires over the weekend — and turned what was expected to be a 90-degree sunny Saturday into a gray 77 — is expected to remain high aloft in the atmosphere all week.
That means air quality should remain good to moderate for most of the region throughout the week, though there are some pockets in Whatcom County where people with respiratory conditions may want to take it easy, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Michalski.
High temperatures through midweek will be in the mid to upper 80s, but by Thursday or Friday we’ll get a weather change when a front moves in from the west, bringing widespread showers and measurable rain to the Seattle region, he said.
It won’t be enough precipitation to end the state’s drought, but it will likely be enough to prevent Seattle from setting a new dry streak record.
