Weather Eye: Look for highs in the 80s, no rain, once wildfire smoke clears

The big news this weekend is the thick smoke over the region thanks to northeast winds that have ushered in air from the many wildfires.

I had several readers tell me Saturday afternoon just how bad it was in their neighborhood. Many thought it was a local fire burning somewhere due to the heavy smell of smoke. The smoke wasn’t just high up — much of it made its way to ground level, causing breathing problems for many.

A woman commented that her little children came inside from playing and asked, “Was it the end of the world and are we going to burn up?” One weather forecaster commented, “No, you are not on Mars.”

I am spending this weekend on the Long Beach Peninsula, and I can tell you it was smoky here as well — enough so the sun was blocked out at times. We had an east wind Saturday, but thank goodness it switched to north/northwest late in the day and the smoke began to rise and thin out.

That will happen in Clark County by late today into Monday as winds switch from offshore to onshore. The smoke had the added benefit of holding our high temperature in the mid 80s rather than mid 90s. I’m sure most would have taken the hotter temperatures over the thick smoke.

It kind of reminds me of the Mount St. Helens eruption and the huge ash clouds. Street lights came on during the day, it was so dark.

Skies get better and we remain in the 80s all week with no rain. Forecast models want to stir up a mix of clouds and showers next weekend. Let’s hope that outlook doesn’t evaporate!

Patrick Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://patricktimm.com.