Hot, Dry Weekend Ahead with Smoke Impacts Possible

A heatwave is approaching Washington, with temperatures reaching the upper 80s in western Washington and the upper 80s to upper 90s in eastern Washington tomorrow afternoon. This stretch of hot weather is expected to last through the weekend and into early next week. Highs this weekend will climb into the low 90s in western Washington and could reach the low 100s in the Columbia Basin. Along with the heat, low relative humidity is expected across the state.

Peak Temperatures this Saturday (8/23) at 5pm

Moderate heat risks in western Washington this weekend will mainly impact those most sensitive to heat, particularly people without access to cooling or adequate hydration. In central Washington, major heat risks are expected, posing a danger to everyone without access to cooling and hydration.

Heat Risk Forecast for this Saturday, courtesy of  NWS HeatRisk Graphics

These hotter, drier conditions will likely increase fire activity on the Bear Gulch Fire, with potential smoke impacts for Lake Cushman and surrounding areas.

The Island Creek Fire in central Idaho and the Sunset Fire in northern Idaho are other sources of concern for smoke. As winds shift this weekend—from the typical onshore flow to an easterly direction—smoke from the Island Creek fire could move into southeast Washington. If the hot and dry conditions promote more activity from the Sunset fire, then there could be potential for smoke in other parts eastern Washington, although this remains uncertain. 

Smoke from Island Creek Fire over Central Idaho this morning.

For those experiencing smoke during this heatwave and without air conditioning, there are steps you can take to stay cooler while keeping your indoor air clean. These include closing windows, curtains, and shades; minimizing stove use during the hottest parts of the day; taking cold showers or baths; and staying hydrated. For more information on protecting yourself from smoke, visit the Washington State Department of Health’s Smoke from Fires page.

Courtesy of NWS and NOAA Heat Infographics

We’ll continue to monitor smoke from the Island Creek Fire and post updates here as conditions change.

Wednesday Smoke Recap and New Fires

Wednesday Smoke Recap

It was an interesting air quality scenario on Wednesday as smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire crossed the Cascades Tuesday night and settled over the Columbia Basin Wednesday morning.

In a "normal scenario," smoke trapped beneath an inversion layer will disperse and air quality will improve as the inversion breaks. But on Wednesday, smoke was trapped just above the morning surface inversion. As the inversion broke, the substantial smoke plume began to mix both up and down, and air quality began to deteriorate during the late morning hours. Air quality was mostly Moderate or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, though a few monitors and sensors did record a brief period of Unhealthy air.

The reduced fire activity at Bear Gulch has resulted in less smoke over eastern Washington Thursday morning, though there was some smoke trapped underneath the morning inversion. With less smoke overhead, we're seeing a more "normal" scenario play out and air quality is improving as the inversion breaks.

Two New Wildfires
With hot, dry, and windy conditions developing Wednesday afternoon, two new large incidents emerged. The Central Ferry Fire in southwest Whitman County grew to approximately 6,000 acres and remains 0% contained. Smoke impacts are confined to the immediate area surrounding the fire, particularly along the Snake River.

The Central Ferry Fire in Whitman County on August 13, 2024. Courtesy: Pullman News Radio

In Lincoln County, the Crescent Road Fire is burning just south of the Spokane River and crossed into far northwest Spokane County Wednesday night. It's currently 779 acres and 0% contained. Fire activity has begun to increase late Thursday morning, and air quality near and just north of the fire will likely range from MODERATE to UNHEALTHY, especially along SR-231 and SR-291.

Fire danger decreases Friday into the weekend with widespread rainfall in and west of the Cascades. Increased relative humidity and scattered showers east of the Cascades will reduce smoke output from new and existing fires, and air quality is expected to improve.

Smoke on the Move

This morning's satellite image showcases two impressive narrow bands of smoke moving across the state:

GOES-WEST satellite image 13 Aug 2025 15:36Z

The northernmost plume is smoke from the Mount Underwood Fire on Vancouver Island, while smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire is drifting across the middle of the state. 

This morning, a fascinating wave-like pattern formed as smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire drifted above Snoqualmie Pass:

Smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire drifts over Snoqualmie Pass. Courtesy DNR/Pano.

A large pyrocumulus cloud was also visible above the Bear Gulch Fire. These "fire clouds" form over large heat sources due to intense upward vertical motion of air cooling and condensing as it rises.

Pyrocumulus over the Bear Gulch Fire. Courtesy DNR/Pano.

Although most of the smoke is above us in the atmosphere, it's currently contributing to moderate air quality in Central Washington and hazy skies throughout the state. Winds should continue pushing the smoke to the east today. 

Rain remains in the forecast, arriving in Western Washington Thursday evening before spreading east through Saturday--great news for dampening fire activity and reducing smoke impacts across the state.

New Fire in British Columbia and Rain on the Way

What’s in the Air Today

Heavy smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire is creating HAZARDOUS air quality around Lake Cushman this morning, with smoke drifting south into Hoodsport. As a result, an Air Quality Alert has been issued for Mason County, effective until 9 AM Friday August 15 due to the smoke from Bear Gulch fire.  For current smoke conditions and forecasts in the Bear Gulch area, check the Smoke Outlook. 

Bear Gulch Fire: A helicopter drops water on a hotspot at the fire's edge, courtesy of InciWeb

Elsewhere, air quality is MODERATE to the east of Bear Gulch, including the Kitsap Peninsula and Shelton. Some smoke may drift into the southern Puget Lowlands today, mixing with higher ozone concentrations due increased temperatures, but overall air quality should remain moderate. Along the coast today near Taholah, air quality is also MODERATE but should improve as concentrations drop through the day.

A new wildfire started Monday near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. It has grown quickly over the past 24 hours and is now at 1,556 acres. Smoke from this fire has been moving down along the Washington coast but is currently staying offshore. As more smoke is produced and winds shift from the northwest later today, smoke will be visible through most of western Washington this evening. However, most of this smoke is expected to remain high in the atmosphere and should not affect air quality at the surface. Check the surface quality map above this post to see what the AQI is near your location. 

Mount Underwood fire near Port Alberni B.C. on August, courtesy of BC Wildfire Service 

Early tomorrow morning, smoke could move over the east slopes of the Cascades and spread into eastern Washington, leading to moderate air quality for a time. Winds should push the smoke east out of the state by tomorrow evening, allowing conditions to improve.

Satellite imagery of smoke over WA this morning

Later This Week – A Wet Turn for August

Looking toward the end of the week, we’re seeing an unusual trend for August: rain, and plenty of it. Areas around Puget Sound could see up to 1 inch, with the Olympics and Cascades possibly picking up as much as 2 inches. Eastern Washington will have a shot at some rainfall as well, though amounts will be lighter than on the west side. This wet system should help slow ongoing fire activity and reduce the risk of new starts, with minimal smoke impacts expected across the region.

Total 48 hour rain accumulation (in) over WA by this Saturday at 5 AM

Weekend Update - Bear Gulch still going strong and warmer weather this weekend

Washington saw a shift to cooler, cloudier conditions this week as a cold front ushered in a notable rain event. The change offered some reprieve from drought and fire activity.  However, over the next few days Washington will see a shift toward hotter, drier conditions that elevate fire weather concerns. 

In western Washington, ridging from the northeastern Pacific will bring a warming and drying trend through early next week, with highs in the 80s by Sunday and Monday. Overnight humidity recoveries will remain good in the near term, but fire danger will increase late this weekend. Eastern Washington will experience even hotter conditions, with widespread 90s and some locations—such as Omak, Wenatchee, Moses Lake, and Lewiston—approaching 100°F on Monday. 

The Bear Gulch fire in Mason County continues to show active behavior, which will likely increase through the weekend.  Satellite imagery shows the Bear Gulch as the only source of visible smoke right now in the State.  Residents in the area (e.g. Hoodsport) should continue to expect poor air quality late at night and in the mornings.  However, daily clearing should occur as it gets warmer and smoke lofts higher in the atmosphere.  Moderate air quality in the greater Puget Sound region may occur throughout the weekend as the Bear Gulch fire grows.  For more a detailed forecast about the Bear Gulch fire, see the Smoke Outlook.

Residents in Eastern Washington are currently experiencing Good air quality, but it wouldn't be surprising if moderate smoke is generated on hot days as fires increase their activity. Winds east of the Cascades will strengthen early next week, but there is an expected cooling trend midweek.

National Weather Service Infographic for Friday, August 8.

The Bear Gulch Fire, Smoke in the Puget Sound, and best of all, Rain in the Forecast

Many folks in Puget Sound smelled and saw smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire Friday afternoon, Sunday night and even a little this Monday morning. While some areas experienced elevated smoke for a few hours Sunday night, the smoke didn't hang around long enough that AQI NOWcast exceeded moderate (yellow) conditions. Most air monitors and sensors around Puget Sound returned to an AQI reading good (green) this morning, but have since gone back to moderate. With the exception of those communities closest to the fire, we do not expect air quality around the Puget Sound to get worse than moderate over the next few days, and will likely continue to vary between good and moderate. Sensors in the Cascades also report moderate air quality from smoke lingering at upper elevations. The following plot shows smoke yesterday afternoon and evening between 1 and 3 km elevation over Tacoma.

    Ceilometer data from the Tacoma South L-Street air monitoring station, courtesy of Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

Cooler temperatures and high relative humidity over the next few days will hopefully keep fire activity to a minimum, but we're really all looking at Wednesday. Forecasts predict a front moving through early Wednesday morning bringing showers throughout the day across all Western Washington, with potential for 0.3 to 1" precipitation around Cushman. It will likely not be enough to put the fire out altogether, but will be a huge help to our fire fighters and in clearing smoke from the air. Forecasts for this weekend and next week will be addressed in a post later this week.

Probability of total rainfall exceeding 0.5" for Wednesday, August 6th

Smoke Update: Bear Gulch and New Fires in Central and Eastern WA

In the Olympics, the Bear Gulch Fire grew rapidly over the past couple of days to 3,900 acres. The fire will continue to actively burn, but compared to the unhealthy air quality earlier this week smoke impacts should be much more moderate due to cooler and wetter weather. However, communities closest to the fire will continue to experience the greatest smoke impacts. At higher elevations in the Olympics, smoke may adversely affect hikers, campers, and park visitors. Nearby, the Hamma Fire is 80% contained; smoke impacts from that fire will be minimal. Hazy skies will continue to be visible in the region.

Note also that there is a smoke outlook for the Bear Gulch Fire area that is updated daily--click the box around the fire at the map at the top of this page for the most recent outlook.

Bear Gulch fire perimeter and closure map. 

A few new fires began yesterday in Central and Eastern WA, likely sparked by lightning. The Stud Horse Fire (2 miles east of Winthrop) is currently causing smoke impacts in the Winthrop and Twisp area. The Siwash Fire (east of Tonasket), Kinkaid Creek Fire (8 miles north of Nespelem), and Kaiser Canyon Fire (3 miles south of Nespelem) are also causing local smoke impacts. Communities closest to these new fires will observe periods of degraded air quality (moderate to USG) depending on fire behavior.

Good news: other fires in the state are exhibiting minimal fire activity and generating minimal smoke impacts.

Outlook: There is a risk of thunderstorms and gusty winds in Eastern WA today, which could ignite new wildfires and lead to rapid spread. Looking ahead to the middle of next week, there is the potential for rain in Western WA, although how much rain is still an open question. Unfortunately hot and dry conditions statewide will likely return next weekend. For now--and over the next few days--air quality will be mostly good across the state, except near active fires.

Fire boat on Lake Cushman with the Bear Gulch plume in the background. Source: Inciweb