Health & Fitness
Canadian Wildfire Smoke Expected Over Washington, Starting Friday
Smoke from wildfires in British Columbia is expected to drift overhead in Washington, but officials expect minimal air quality impacts.
SEATTLE — Air quality experts expect some wildfire smoke from British Columbia to be overhead in Washington as soon as Friday afternoon, but officials predict the plumes should stay high enough to avoid impacts for air on the ground.
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency flagged the possibility of overhead smoke on Thursday, as dozens of wildfires burn across Western Canada amid a historic heat wave and tens of thousands of lightning strikes.
Absolutely mind-blowing wildfire behavior in British Columbia. Incredible & massive storm-producing pyrocumulonimbus plumes. pic.twitter.com/kH39IuX1ez
— Dakota Smith (@weatherdak) July 1, 2021
While the smoke will be visible up high, so far, experts expect air quality in the lowlands will remain in the "good" range through the holiday weekend. Impacts are expected to be a little more pronounced at higher elevations, with air quality potentially degrading to "moderate" in the Cascades.
Find out what's happening in Seattlefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Wildfire smoke from British Columbia will be overhead as early as tomorrow afternoon. We do not expect the smoke to reach the ground level and forecast GOOD air quality this weekend. Areas in the Cascades may see more smoke and MODERATE air quality. https://t.co/oKZt83BQbq pic.twitter.com/CxqJpO00GX
— PS Clean Air Agency (@pscleanair) July 1, 2021
Residents can find the latest air quality forecasts, along with live maps of current conditions, on the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's website.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.