The eastern side of the state has a gift for Western Washington: Heat and haze.
The two will increase in the western half of the state in the coming days thanks to easterly winds dragging hot air and wildfire smoke along with them, according to the National Weather Service.
The high temperature Thursday reached 87 degrees and is expected to gain a degree or two on Friday. The normal high for this time of year is in the mid-70s.
Meanwhile, wildfire smoke seeped into the region Thursday. The weather service expects smoke to stay high in the atmosphere, making for hazy skies and pretty sunrises and sunsets, with little impact to air quality at the surface.
The smoke, which is elevated as it travels over the mountains, is expected to remain aloft because there are no conditions in the atmosphere that would pull air to the surface, said Kirby Cook, a meteorologist with the weather service in Seattle.
Areas near the Cascades, which are closer to the fires, will likely see more smoke than the Seattle area, according to the state Department of Ecology, which warns air quality could reach unhealthy for sensitive groups near the mountains.
The Puget Sound region may reach moderate air quality with peaks into unhealthy for sensitive groups, Ecology said.
The Shetland Creek fire near the Canadian border, the Calcite Creek fire in Canada, Lake Chelan’s Pioneer fire and Yakima’s Retreat fire are the four main blazes contributing to smoke across the state, Ecology said.
Despite the haze, temperatures will still be very warm, the weather service said. There’s a heat advisory in effect for most of Western Washington (not including the coast) until 9 p.m. Friday.
“It’s August, it’s typically the warmer time of year for us, but it’s always good to be aware it is going to be warmer than normal if you’re outside,” Cook said.
Onshore flow is expected to increase Saturday, cooling temperatures into the 80s and flushing out the smoke.
And any good news for the rain lovers out there?
“No,” Cook said.
“We stay dry in the Seattle area through the entire forecast period.”
