Smoke Storm and Heatwave in Western Washington This Weekend

And later in the day (shown at 5 p.m.) air quality over much of western Washington, and especially Puget Sound, was low (red). I noticed the smell of fire at UW this afternoon.

But the situation will get warmer and more smoky this weekend.

With the formation of high pressure to the east and a low-pressure trough extending up the West Coast, a moderate offshore pressure differential (higher inland, lower coast) will result in easterly winds. offshore). This winter runoff will warm further west of the Cascades and the coastal mountains.

This situation has its dangers.

On Saturday, when the winter currents are warm, with strong winds rolling westward, dry winds will be especially strong near the Columbia Gorge, which is illustrated by this image showing the HOT-DRY-WIND index.

We will all have to be careful not to start wildfires in northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington.

Warm, dry air will sweep west of Washington Saturday with increased winds on the western slopes of the Cascades. Existing fires (for example, Bolt Creek) will pick up with more smoke.

And the smoke will first go east and then west, reducing air quality.

To illustrate, let me show you the projections from the NOAA HRRR smoke model. Starting with all vertical smoke, at 5 a.m. Friday the first smoke will pour into eastern Washington and Oregon.

But by 11 p.m. Friday, the smoke will push toward southwestern WA and northwestern Oregon and begin pushing westward through the Washington Cascades.

And then on Saturday morning, smoke will rise west of Washington.

Much of the smoke will fly high, creating a red sun, but some of it will reach the surface, as illustrated by the surface smoke predicted at 3 p.m. Saturday.