Heat wave, wildfires bring smoky skies to western Washington. How long will it last?
Wildfires burning in Oregon and a heat inversion are combining to keep skies smoky and the air dirty in Pierce County on Friday, where the high in Tacoma is expected to reach 90 degrees.
A heat advisory is in effect.
A red sun rose through a tobacco-colored sky Friday from a temperature inversion, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Harrison Rademacher.
Normally, hot air close to the ground would rise, carrying the unhealthy tiny particles from vehicle emissions and other other sources with them. The heat inversion traps that bad air closer to the ground.
Meanwhile, smoke from Oregon fires is staying mostly aloft, Rademacher said, except near Mount Rainier. Smoke will increase in density into Saturday, he said.
Dirty air
Pierce County was getting harder hit by dirty air compared with King County on Friday, according to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
“Pierce County and the Cascade foothills may reach unhealthy for sensitive groups at times,” it said.
It advised people with sensitivity to dirty air to stay indoors. The same conditions are expected on Saturday, the agency said.
Relief in sight
Temperatures will decrease Saturday as northwest winds bring in cooler air from Canada. Saturday’s high in Tacoma will be in the 85-88 range, Rademacher said.
Sunday’s high will hit around 80 as temperatures continue to cool.
Next week, the weather will feel more like fall with highs in the 70s and a chance of showers.
