Wildfire smoke is descending from Canada. What’s that mean for Pierce, Thurston counties?

Five Western Washington counties were placed on air quality alerts Thursday due to smoke blowing in from wildfires in British Columbia, but forecasters say Pierce County’s air quality looks good.

National Weather Service forecaster Mike McFarland said that the smoke is mainly north of Seattle, but the city looks hazy.

“There’s smoke aloft right now so it looks terrible,” he said. “You get a little puff of marine air that usually brings cool air off the Pacific. A lot of times the smoke’s aloft, but you’re not breathing it.”

Air quality alerts were issued for Whatcom, Skagit, Island, Jefferson and Clallam counties. The Northwest Clean Air and Olympic Region Clean Air agencies forecast that air quality was unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Sensitive groups include people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and pregnant women.

McFarland said satellite imagery showed that Pierce County appeared clear of smoke.

“Down through Tacoma and Olympia, nearly all the sensors are in the green,” he said.

The haze in Seattle and north of the city is forecast to stay through Friday night and into Saturday. McFarland said it should begin to clear Saturday night and be clear by Sunday.

McFarland said that about half of Seattle’s air quality was being measured as good and about half was measured as moderate. Moderate air quality indicates that people sensitive to smoke might want to take precautions by keeping outdoor activities short.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency forecast at noon Thursday called for air quality to worsen throughout the day and reach levels unhealthy for sensitive groups in “many areas” in the Puget Sound region. Its website suggested that sensitive groups avoid running, cycling or walking outside.

This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 2:36 PM.