Smoke Should Stay Away For Another Pleasant Week In Puget Sound

SEATTLE — Puget Sound is on track to extend its marathon of pleasant weather for at least another week, and the skies should largely stay clear of smoke on this side of the Cascades. According to the latest forecasts, apart from a few clouds Wednesday, each of the next seven days promises plenty of sunshine as temperatures build toward the mid-80s heading into the weekend.

While large portions of Washington and much of the United States grapple with wildfire smoke and diminished air quality, experts believe this week's conditions will allow Western Washington to hold on to its blue skies. According to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, some upper-level smoke could filter into the region late in the week, but impacts on the ground are not expected.

Here's the 5-day weather outlook for the Seattle area:

• Tuesday: 79°/58° (Sunny)
• Wednesday: 82°/61° (Mostly sunny)
• Thursday: 84°/61° (Sunny)
• Friday: 84°/61° (Sunny)
• Saturday: 83°/61° (Sunny)

Once again, this week's forecasts include no precipitation, and heightened wildfire risks remain.

According to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, at least 16 large wildfires were active across the Pacific Northwest on Monday, including the Cedar Creek and Cub Creek 2 fires burning in Okanogan County. In Spokane County, two separate fires prompted evacuations late Sunday.

Smoke plumes from fires burning in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana and Canada continue to spread thousands of miles across the country. In Massachusetts, officials issued an alert through Tuesday as air quality declined into unhealthy ranges.

So far, air quality experts and meteorologists do not expect Western Washington will face a similar scenario. Air quality forecasts are updated daily via the state Department of Ecology, and live maps showing current conditions and wildfire smoke can be found using the EPA's AirNow tool.