Warmer today with more dangerous air quality

The Oregon DEQ has issued an Air Quality Advisory in Morrow and Umatilla counties until noon Friday. The Benton Clean Air Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for Benton County until 5 PM Friday. The Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for Yakima County until further notice.

Today: It’ll be a smidge hotter today with a similar smoke situation. The worst air quality will likely be immediately downwind of the fires burning in Morrow, Umatilla, and Yakima counties. Highs will still be about 5-10 degrees below average. It’ll be in the mid to upper-80s in the Kittitas Valley, Yakima Valley, Lower Columbia Basin, and foothills of the Blues. Winds will be light for most spots, although variable wind gusts could reach up to 20 MPH in the Kittitas Valley. More fire starts are possible today due to fire fuel energy (compared to historical values) being in the 88th - 95th percentile across the region.

Tonight: Haze will still be pretty widespread as Friday night turns into a cool one. It’ll drop down into the mid-50s in the Kittitas/Yakima valleys and Lower Columbia Basin, while the Blue Foothills will be in the upper-50s. Winds will continue to gust up to 20 MPH in the Kittitas Valley, although their direction will turn northwest.

Extended: Expect the haze/smoke situation to be pretty much the same on Saturday. It’ll also be a bit hotter tomorrow, but actually seasonal. For Saturday through Wednesday, highs will mostly 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 Monday 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. However, that could start to change by late week as highs turn hotter. By Thursday, we could be back around 5-10 degrees above average (near 100 degrees in the Tri-Cities).

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 THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.