SEATTLE — Air quality in the Seattle area is expected to be diminished this weekend as wildfire smoke gets pushed into the skies above the Puget Sound.
Some wildfire smoke from east of the Cascades is drifting into western Washington from weakened offshore winds. Air quality is expected to be affected from the Puget Sound to the Cascade Foothills between Everett and Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula.
Eastern parts of Snohomish County were already seeing moderate air quality levels Friday, with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency recommending people to "take it easy" with outdoor running and sensitive groups to think twice about outdoor walking.
Above 6,000 feet, winds are bringing wildfire smoke north from Oregon and California into western Washington. This could bring some hazy skies and some redder sunrises and sunsets. KING 5's Crystal Mountain camera shows how much hazier the skies look far above sea level. The KING 5 Weather team reports that on Saturday, changes in the wind should push the smoke east and clear up the skies.
The Pioneer Fire near Lake Chelan is over 33,000 acres as of Friday and is just 12% contained. Further south, Oregon has seen more than 1.3 million acres burn so far this fire season, far surpassing a devastating 2020 season.
In addition to potentially diminished air quality, temperatures are expected to continue nearing 90 degrees in western Washington throughout the weekend. Even into next week, temperatures in the region are expected to be in the mid to upper 80s.