Wildfire smoke to blow into Portland Tuesday, poor air quality expected

Smoke from various wildfires will blow into Portland on Tuesday, July 16, creating hazy skies and worsening air quality in the metro area.

KOIN 6 Meteorologist Josh Cozart forecasts southerly winds pushing the smoke north into the Willamette Valley. Although air quality is expected to suffer in Portland, the conditions will be far less severe than those seen in 2020, when then-acting U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar declared a federal public health emergency in response to the wildfire smoke smothering the city.

Temperatures are expected to reach 96 degrees in the Portland metro area late Tuesday afternoon. A KOIN 6 Weather Alert is in place Tuesday for dangerous heat, dry weather, and an increased wildfire potential as thunderstorms have a chance of producing dry lightning east of the Cascades.

KOIN 6 News is a partner of this publication. Find the original story here .