Wildfire smoke from Oregon and California arrives in Seattle

Smoke from Oregon and eastern Washington wildfires is expected to be in Seattle by early Friday, according to local meteorologists.

Driving the news: On Thursday, smoke from eastern Washington could be seen on satellite drifting over the Cascade Mountains, National Weather Service Seattle meteorologist Matthew Cullen told Axios.

• Then, a shift in wind direction is predicted to bring several days of smoke from Oregon and California into Western Washington, he said.

Threat level: Because the smoke is expected to remain at higher levels of the atmosphere, the initial impact is likely to be bright sunsets and hazy conditions in the mountains, Michael Fagin of West Coast Weather told Axios.

• But air quality could drop to moderate or worse , according to Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
• That depends, in part, on how much smoke comes out of Oregon, how high the plumes get and the speeds of the wind, Cullen said, all of which are difficult to anticipate.

What they're saying: "The big question is whether the smoke will stay aloft or reach the surface," Cullen said.

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