Wildfire smoke could be returning to Whatcom County. Here’s when
Late summer weather that’s bringing sunny skies and unseasonably warm temperatures will stick around for several days, but the winds could change later this week, sending wildfire smoke across Whatcom County.
Forecasts from the National Weather Service in Seattle predict that winds could become easterly on Thursday, Oct. 13, pushing smoke from wildfires east of Mount Baker and elsewhere in Eastern Washington.
“Some smoke might start to creep back into the area by Thursday with air quality worsening again as light easterly winds develop,” said meteorologist Kayla Mazurkiewicz.
Winds could remain easterly through an otherwise warm and sunny weekend, Mazurkiewicz said in the online forecast discussion.
“Low-level offshore flow is expected, especially for the weekend. This will lead to elevated fire concerns. It could also bring more smoke and degraded air quality to the region,” she said.
Forecast models from FireSmoke Canada show smoke blowing into Whatcom County from the Bolt Creek fire in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest east of Seattle and the Chilliwack Complex of fires burning east of Mount Baker in the North Cascades National Park.
Officials at the Northwest Clean Air Agency are watching the situation, said spokesman Seth Preston.
“I’ll be keeping an eye on the models this afternoon and evening and will provide an update. My expectation is that we will move back to moderate (air quality levels), maybe some unsafe for sensitive people (readings) between Thursday and Sunday,” Preston said in an email.
Daytime high temperatures are expected in the high 60s to low 70s in Bellingham through Sunday, Oct. 16, with overnight lows in the low 50s.
Normal high temperature for mid-October in Bellingham is 61 degrees, with a low of 44 degrees.
As a result, some new temperature records could be set over the next several days.
Winds should turn westerly by Monday, Oct. 17, and those ocean breezes will bring better air quality, Mazurkiewicz said.
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 10:53 AM.
