Seattle weather: Times of wildfire smoke, showers this week

Rainy, cloudy days ahead, sunny into next weekend

We hope you enjoyed the beautiful weeks of sunshine as much as we did, because it's going to be unseasonably Seattle-ish weather this week!

SEATTLE - The latest forecast for this week is quite a mixed bag, offering times of wildfire smoke and showers.

After a cloudy and foggy start to the day, we're forecasting highs in the mid to upper 70s. The low-hanging clouds will clear this afternoon. However, there could be wildfire smoke moving into Western Washington in the upper levels of the atmosphere. This is due to northeasterly winds wrapping around an area of low pressure on the border of Washington and Oregon. This is dragging in smoke from fires burning in British Columbia and Eastern Washington.

Keep in mind: temperatures today will be very dependent on the amount of smoke in our skies. Smokier skies will lead to cooler temperatures. Thinner smoke will lead to warmer temps. I'd recommend dressing in layers if you're heading to Seafair today just to be prepared.

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The good news is that because the haze should stay high up, it won't impact air quality at the surface. The even better news is that an incoming cold front tomorrow morning should push the smoke out of our region altogether, welcoming fresh air from the Pacific. We're expecting mostly good air quality for the rest of the week, barring any big changes.

There's a small chance for showers and thunderstorms over the mountains today, but much of Western Washington will wind up shower-free today. The real action is focused in Eastern Washington where flash flooding could happen over creeks, streams and recent burn scars. A Flood Watch is in effect for the highlighted areas through Monday.

The Sourdough Fire is still burning near Diablo in the North Cascades, burning at least 1,300 acres. The latest update shows zero percent containment. The Eagle Bluff Fire in Okanogan County has burned more than 16,000 acres, but containment has jumped to 70 percent per the latest report. Even though it's good seeing rain in the forecast, we're concerned that it might be too much of a good thing - putting some of these burned areas at risk for floods. We also have to watch for any lightning strikes starting new fires today (again, the thunderstorm risk is mostly east of the Cascades).

Here's a look at conditions from earlier today:

Monday could start with light showers. Tuesday will be mostly cloudy as our next round of rain starts sweeping into the North Sound and coast by the evening. Isolated showers continue into Wednesday before diminishing Thursday and Friday. Saturday looks brighter and warmer with temps cresting above the 80 degree mark.

The weather models for next workweek (specifically August 14 - 18) are hinting at a heat wave with many backyards reaching the 90s. This doesn't look nearly as sweltering as the heat wave of June 2021, but stick with us for updates. Here's a look at the possible range of temperatures for this time frame. Don't get attached to the exact numbers as much as the overall trend - temperatures could certainly be well above average.