First the heat, now should Whatcom County prepare for wildfire smoke?
Smoke from wildfires in British Columbia could drift south to Western Washington over the next several days, according to computer models of possible wind patterns.
But its potential effect on Whatcom County was uncertain, according to meteorologists and air-quality officials in the Puget Sound region.
Updated weekend forecasts indicated Friday, July 2, that smoke could create haze in the upper atmosphere, but south winds near the ground should keep air quality good.
“We know it’s a possibility that we may get smoke,” said Seth Preston, spokesman for the Northwest Clean Air Agency in Mount Vernon said Thursday, July 1.
“We’re going to keep watching it through the weekend,” Preston told The Bellingham Herald.
Some computer models are showing smoke from several dozen B.C. wildfires spreading south, meteorologist Matthew Cullen at the National Weather Service in Seattle told The Herald.
“At this point, it’s certainly possible as the wind turns more in that direction. It might be more at higher elevations than down by the surface,” Cullen said.
Officials at the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency tweeted Thursday, July 1, that skies could start turning smoky by Friday afternoon.
“We do not expect the smoke to reach the ground level and forecast good air quality for the weekend,” its tweet said. “Areas in the Cascades may see more smoke and moderate air quality.”
This story was originally published July 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
