KIRO 7 meteorologists are calling for Pinpoint Alert Days on Tuesday and Wednesday because the heat and the haze might be a little much to handle for some in Western Washington.
Bring on the heat
The onshore, or westerly wind flow (“nature’s air conditioning”), is shutting down as we head into Monday through midweek. This, combined with building high pressure aloft, will allow for the summer sun to warm the area each day.
On Monday, highs will be in the 70s north and on the coast, with mid to upper 80s from the central and south Puget Sound region into the south interior. Not too hot just yet.
Hazy days
One noticeable impact on Monday will be some increasing wildfire smoke – mainly from British Columbia – moving into the northern half of Western Washington by Monday afternoon. Upper-level winds will carry it south into the region.
Most of the haze is expected to remain elevated, so for many of us it’ll simply make the sky look hazy rather than create significant air quality concerns.
There is, however, a better chance for some of that smoke to mix closer to the surface around the Cascade foothills.
We’ll also be watching northerly winds funneling through the Fraser River Valley, which could push additional smoke into the North Interior. That means areas from around north of Everett toward Bellingham have the greatest chance of seeing a noticeable reduction in air quality later today, tonight, and tomorrow. Even there, we’re not expecting a major smoke event, but it’s worth keeping an eye on if you’re sensitive to smoke.
Relief later in the week and into the weekend
Relief arrives later in the week as temperatures cool into the upper-70s and lower-80s on Thursday. We’ll also be watching for a slight chance of a few showers, and perhaps even an isolated thunderstorm if some convection develops to our south and moves north.
By Friday and into the weekend, we’ll settle back into a more typical pattern with morning clouds, afternoon sunshine, highs in the low to mid-70s, and maybe even a few light sprinkles.