Shifting weather expected to send wildfire smoke over Bellingham and Whatcom County
Bellingham and Whatcom County could see some smoky skies over the next several days, mostly from wildfires in British Columbia.
“Near-surface smoke and haze from fires in British Columbia and Eastern Washington will likely be pushed over the crest and may filter down through some of the Cascade valleys, particularly over the north including Skagit and Whatcom counties,” the National Weather Service in Seattle said in its Tuesday afternoon forecast.
Air quality shouldn’t worsen past the moderate level, according to the Northwest Clean Air Agency.
“Some smoke from Eastern Washington and British Columbia wildfires will impact more interior locations like Bellingham, Mount Vernon, and Columbia Valley” near Kendall, the air agency said on its social media.
“High-altitude smoke may make skies hazy. But ground-level air may actually be good when skies appear smoky, the air agency said.
Jeff Michalski, a weather service meteorologist in Seattle, told The Bellingham Herald that smoke is possible, especially Thursday and Friday.
Michalski said the smoke will be mostly in the upper atmosphere on Wednesday.
“There’s a pretty big fire over the border between Okanogan and Whatcom counties, and we’ve got our own fires, particularly the East Fire. Some of the smoke could be pushed through Thursday and Friday,” he said.
Complicating matters is the possibility of showers and thunderstorms that could touch off new fires.
“The good news is that the pattern changes by the weekend” and clear skies return, Michalski said.
This story was originally published August 7, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
