The Heat
The last week in July and the first week in August are, on average, the hottest weeks of the year for Washington, and Summer 2022 sure is living up to that billing! Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories cover nearly the entire state, and will remain in effect through Friday evening. Tuesday the 26th will be the hottest day for areas west of the Cascades, where temperatures will climb into the upper 90s across the Puget Lowlands, while areas east of the Cascades will continue warming through Thursday, with many areas reaching 105-110F through the end of the week. Temperatures will struggle to cool down each night this week, exacerbating heat illness among vulnerable populations. Seattle has opened up numerous cooling centers, with cities across the state following suit.
NWS Heat Risk: Tuesday (left) and Thursday (right)
Minor Wildfire Smoke Intrusions, Low Impact
While Washington has managed to make it through July with below average fire activity, wildfire season is in full swing across much of the western United States. Several large fires in and around Yosemite in east-central California are emitting smoke that may cause some haze in southwest Washington in the coming days. Additionally, the
Nohomin Creek fire near Lytton, BC has surpassed 5,000 acres, and smoke was able to ride the Fraser Valley outflow into northwest Washington last night. I anticipate that very little smoke from either region will make it to the surface in Washington, but haze formation in the mid-levels is likely through the end of the week, concentrated in far southwest Washington, and the North Cascades/Okanagan National Forest. Below is a satellite image of the smoke in northwest Washington and a hi-res model forecast depicting total wildfire smoke, nearly all of which is located above 5000ft in altitude.
Air Quality
AQI across the state is generally good, with some Moderate values showing up along the I-5 corridor between Tacoma and Seattle. Strong nighttime temperature inversions under the very hot mid-level ridge are notorious for causing air quality issues, but thankfully western Washington is seeing good ventilation in the afternoons. Of note, no areas under the smoke haze from British Columbia are reporting elevated AQI values, a good sign that the smoke is remaining elevated for the time being.
Thank you for reading the Washington Smoke Blog! Please leave a comment if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback for the team!
Matthew Dehr
Wildland Fire Meteorologist
Do we know when the haze will clear?
ReplyDeleteModels and satellites images are still showing smoke from the California fire aloft, but the marine push is keeping western WA surface air quality good to moderate. Without knowing when fires will start or be put out, it's impossible to say. It looks like the haze will at least be with us for the next few days.
DeleteThanks, as always! Your reports factor strongly into in my summer plans. I feel very lucky that I'm able to have this great information available when making decisions about where to go. And even if I'm not going anywhere, it makes a huge difference psychologically to know the trajectory of smoke outbreaks.
ReplyDelete