Weekend outlook and fire updates

Thanks to cooler weather and more humid conditions, air quality across the state has been generally good to moderate the last few days, aside from communities near active fires. Fires to note:

In Western Washington, the 2620 Road/Jupiter Fire began near Brinnon on Wednesday evening, and is reported at 445 acres. Smoke impacts will largely be localized to residents in and near the Brinnon area. It's unlikely that smoke from the fire will impact the Kitsap or Seattle areas this weekend.

The Jupiter Fire near Brinnon in Jefferson County (c/o Western WA Type 3 Incident Management Team).

In North Central WA, the Pioneer and Easy Fires continue to burn, yet have exhibited minimal growth the past couple of days. Air quality in Chelan, Stehekin, and the Methow will likely range from Good to Moderate.

In South Central WA, the Williams Mine Fire is now 11,302 acres. Smoke impacts will be the worst in Trout Lake and Glenwood, especially during the overnight hours as the smoke builds up. The SW Yakama Reservation also may observe periodic Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air quality. Temporary air monitors have been deployed in both Trout Lake and Glenwood to monitor air quality conditions--these temporary air monitors are denoted by triangles on the fire and smoke map at the top of this page. The Retreat fire outside of Yakima is now 80% contained; the Yakima Valley should see mostly Good and Moderate air quality due to decreased fire behavior.  

Weekend outlook: A brief period of easterly flow on Saturday morning will potentially transport smoke from the North Cascades into Western Washington. However, impacts should stay moderate, and rain and thunderstorms arrive Saturday evening to clear out any transported smoke and mitigate impacts from the Jupiter Fire. In Eastern WA, forecasted thunderstorms today and tomorrow are unlikely to bring substantial rain; dry conditions contribute to a chance of new wildfire starts.