Smoke returns to Tri-Cities, but don’t blame Canada

Wildfire smoke is having an on-again, off-again moment in the Tri-Cities.

The state Department of Ecology said Wednesday that smoke from fires in Oregon and Idaho wasn’t supposed to reach the Mid-Columbia. Those wildfires have torched tens of thousands of acres.

Then Ecology then posted a photo showing a blanket of smoke over Eastern Washington and pointed the finger at Oregon.

Ranil Dhammapala, an atmospheric scientist with the Ecology, wrote on a blog that Oregon’s “smoke monster” is still small “compared to the Canadian fellow who visited three weeks ago.”

Dhammapala wrote that air quality will improve Thursday for Eastern Washington, but dip again Friday in the face of a high pressure front that promises to bring increased fire danger. Air quality is expected to be “moderate.”

The pressure system has a couple of benefits — starting with keeping the Oregon fires from piling more smoke into the region.

It also will bring cloudless skies and increasing temperatures. The National Weather Service said the Tri-Cities will see temperatures Tuesday near 99.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Smoke returns to Tri-Cities, but don’t blame Canada."