Western Washington Smoke: Hazy Days Ahead, But Rain To The Rescue

SEATTLE — After weeks of sunny skies, wildfire smoke has arrived in Western Washington, appearing as a thin haze above Puget Sound Monday morning. However, that thin haze is about as bad as it's predicted to get for the foreseeable future, and should be wiped out by rain later in the week.

Still, experts say those who are sensitive to smoke to use their best judgement and err on the side of caution for the next few days.

In its latest smoke forecast, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency says the air quality is likely to remain good for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties, but warn that it could dip down into the moderate range if that high, hazy smoke filters down towards the ground. As a result, they warn that even healthy adults should consider taking it easy when it comes to running or other strenuous outdoor activities. Sensitive groups may also want to avoid long walks outdoors, the agency said.

The haze is likely to linger through at least Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service's latest forecasts. On the plus side, it'll remain mostly pleasant and warm, temperature-wise.

The haze is largely coming from wildfires burning in California and Oregon. Over the weekend, lightning strikes sparked up several more wildfires across Oregon, the Statesman Journal reported. The largest fire, the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, has burned over 646 square miles, but is now at least 84 percent contained. California's Dixie Fire, meanwhile, has scorched nearly 388 square miles of land, the Associated Press reported. Both continue to kick up smoke.

Unlike last September, when a "super-massive" smoke plume bore down on Western Washington, the bulk of that wildfire smoke has been diverted to the north and east, causing air quality to drop from Bellingham to the Columbia Valley.

Fortunately for both Western and Eastern Washington, rain is on the way and should help clear the air out. Meteorologists say the rain is on track to roll into Puget Sound from the Gulf of Alaska sometime late Thursday. The likelihood of rain will only grow Friday, ultimately dropping between a tenth to a quarter of an inch of rain across Puget Sound, ending the ongoing dry streak.

The current dry spell is approaching the state record. Seattle's record for the most consecutive days without rain is 55 days, set in 2017, the Seattle Times reports. As of Monday, it has been 49 days without rain.

While the rain will flush out any lingering haze, the relief is likely to be temporary. Last year, the worst of the smoke began in early September, and there's still plenty of time for another smoke plume to force its way into the Evergreen State.

As a result, experts are still urging Washingtonians to prepare for the worst, and get their homes smoke-ready before disaster strikes.