Smoke Expected To Move Out By Week’s End, Ushering In Cooler Temps

Much of the Inland Northwest has been socked in by smoke over the past couple of days, and the smoky conditions are not from nearby fires, but rather blown in from fires burning in southern British Columbia.  Marilyn Lohmann with the National Weather Service says the northerly winds we saw move in over the weekend, ushered in the smoke, leading to poor air quality, and in many cases altered temperatures.  She noted this week’s smoke was different that smoky days we’ve seen over the summer, mainly because of the amount of smoke.

“We still had really good sunshine, but with the really dense smoke on Monday, it did lower the temperature by a few degrees for the high, and it also kept up the overnight lows by a couple of degrees.  So, it does take that thick, dense smoke to actually affect the temperatures.”

Lohmann said the forecast ahead is encouraging, with clearer skies and cooler temperatures expected by the end of this week.

“With much cooler conditions and a chance of rain by early next week.”

Lohmann says the cooler temperatures should continue for the final week of August into the Labor Day weekend.

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