May 17, 2023

Smoke Drifts South Into Seattle

Last updated 4:30 PM, Wednesday, May 17th, 2023 

By Olivia Lee

Happy Wednesday Huskies! The view from the webcam is a lot less picturesque than the past few days due to the smoke from wildfires in Canada.

Today’s temperatures will remain cooler than what we saw last weekend with the high lingering near 80 degrees. Smoke from up north moved overhead this morning, hiding the blue sky and limiting the sunshine. Weaker winds have kept the smoke aloft, but throughout the day some smoke will mix downward without having too much of an impact on air quality.

An upper level pressure ridge will keep Thursday through Saturday warm and dry. Thursday’s high of 80 degrees will be the warmest maximum temperature for the next few days and Friday’s high will drop to the mid-70s, marking the beginning of a decrease in temperatures as the ridge moves east and onshore flow resumes. Onshore flow will also clear out the smoke, so Seattle should be smoke free by Friday. 

Saturday’s weather will be similar to Friday’s, but an upper level trough will begin to move in on Sunday, knocking temperatures down by 10 degrees to the mid 60s. Believe it or not, 65 degrees is the normal for this time of year so we are finally returning to the typical Seattle spring! 

If you’re a fan of the hot weather, soak it in while it lasts. But if you miss the chillier temperatures, rejoice because they are returning soon!