‘Relief is close at hand.’ Air quality remains poor but smoke on track to leave Thursday

What a difference a day makes.

At least, that’s what forecasters are counting on with predictions that wind soon will push out a blanket of thick wildfire smoke that has choked the region for days.

Air quality in the Tacoma area remained “unhealthy” Wednesday, and the National Weather Service extended an Air Quality Alert through Thursday.

“But relief is close at hand, with dramatic improvement guaranteed tonight and tomorrow,” Cliff Mass, a University of Washington meteorologist, wrote on his weather blog Wednesday.

Winds were expected to shift Wednesday evening and push out the smoke that has been hovering over the region, gradually improving the air quality.

The haze thinned out enough Wednesday for visitors to Mount Rainier National Park to see the 14,411-foot volcano, and air quality in the park was listed as “moderate.”

School athletics continue to practice indoors, and Metro Parks Tacoma again closed outdoor pools and moved summer camps inside.

Thursday should be the day everyone has been waiting for.

Forecasters say smoke will linger through 11 a.m. before beginning to blow out, dropping the temperatures into the low 70s.

The weekend could bring a chance of showers, which firefighters need to help gain control over the dozens of wildfires burning throughout Washington and British Columbia.

This story was originally published August 22, 2018 at 10:10 AM.