Cooler for Thursday with dangerous levels of smoke possible in Yakima County

The Oregon DEQ has issued an Air Quality Advisory in Morrow and Umatilla counties until further notice. The Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for Yakima County until further notice.

Today: Thursday will be a cooler day, but smoke will dominate parts of our region. The Yakima Valley, especially, will deal with downwind smoke from the fresh fires in Yakima County. To the east and south of there, expect hazy sunshine today. Winds will play a big factor in that, gusting out of the northwest in the Kittitas and Yakima valleys, with west-southwesterly winds for the Lower Columbia Basin and foothills of the Blues. Overall, winds will gust between 20-35 MPH. Fire starts will still be a threat today, as fire fuel energy will range from the 86th - 94th percentiles across our region (compared to historical data). Now back to the cool highs, as they’ll be about 5-10 degrees below average. It’ll be in the mid-70s in the Kittitas Valley, with low-80s for the Yakima Valley and Blue Foothills. Expect mid-80s for the Tri-Cities.

Tonight: Our overnight lows will turn a bit brisk for this time of the year. Expect mid to upper-40s for the Kittitas/Yakima valleys and Lower Columbia Basin, with mid-50s for the foothills of the Blues. Winds will calm down for the Lower Columbia Basin and Blue Foothills, but they could still gust between 20-25 MPH in the Kittitas/Yakima valleys. These northwesterly gusts will continue to put thick smoke into the Yakima Valley. Expect hazy skies to the south and east of there.

Extended: Our highs will go up a smidge on Friday, back to values about 5 degrees below average (near 90 degrees in the Tri-Cities). Haze and smoke look to be a bit more widespread by Friday, with the worst air quality being in the Yakima Valley. For Saturday and beyond, highs will return to normal for this time of year (low to mid-90s in the Tri-Cities). We’ll see the return of small thunderstorm chances for Sunday through Wednesday, with Tuesday being the most favorable day. Fire starts will still be a concern, although our fire fuels will be a bit less energized by next week.

​COPYRIGHT 2024 BY APPLE VALLEY NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.