The Smoke Should Begin To Clear In Washington This Weekend

The recent round of California wildfire smoke, which has lent to some spectacular sunsets and a remarkably orange moon, is likely to remain for at least another day — but forecasters are confident impacts on the ground will continue to be minimal.

According to the Washington Smoke Blog, forecasts from earlier in the week are holding steady, and a temperature inversion has helped keep the smoke up high, limiting impacts to air quality. While a handful of air monitoring stations briefly slipped into the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" range Thursday afternoon, the vast majority of the state has maintained "good" to "moderate" air.

That trend is expected to continue Friday, and forecasters expect most of the smoke should begin to clear out of the region by Saturday night, thanks to a slight shift in the wind.

Ranil Dhammapala, the state's leading smoke expert, said recurring morning fog has made conditions look worse than reality in some areas, and the fog is likely to persist through Sunday morning.

Live updates on air quality can be found via the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, AirNow and Department of Ecology websites, along with the daily smoke forecast. New information will continue to be posted on the Washington Smoke Blog.