Seattle weather: Smoky sunshine today with better air quality Monday

Fall weather staying warm but hazy

FOX 13 Meteorologist Abby Acone has the details.

SEATTLE - Unfortunately, wildfire smoke is in the forecast once again today. There's some good news though: air quality could improve on Monday (at least a little)! Still, any relief would probably be temporary. Dry and warm weather later in the workweek could lead to the return of hazy sunshine.

Highs today will be quite similar to yesterday, soaring into the 70s for most. A few low 80s are possible near the Cascades.

The weather will be dry for the Sounders game at 2 this afternoon! However, if you're someone that's sensitive to smoke – you might experience some impacts from the haze. Experts advise that people with respiratory issues should limit their time outside today. You can watch the air quality levels on the Department of Ecology website or the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency website.

This brings us to our air quality forecast. For most in Puget Sound, air quality will be "moderate." This means that the majority of the population won't be impacted by the smoke. In some communities (especially near Darrington, Highway Two and east Snohomish and King Counties) air quality could drop to "unhealthy for sensitive groups" levels or even worse.

Check out the surface-level smoke futurecast below: westerly winds Monday should help push smoke back up over the Cascades and into Eastern Washington. This should improve air quality at least somewhat. Sadly, easterly/northeasterly winds return Wednesday. This could push smoke back into the Puget Sound lowlands for the rest of the workweek.

Seattle rain fans, rejoice! Isolated showers are possible late Monday and Tuesday over the Cascades. The chance for rain is pretty scant, but we'll take what we can get!