Some relief from 100+ temperatures and Tri-Cities smoky sky forecast. But will it last?

Relief from recent hotter-than-normal temperatures is forecast in the Tri-Cities, and the week should at least start with some mostly smoke-free skies.

No triple-digit temperatures are predicted. But with fires burning across the Northwest, shifting winds could yet bring some smoky skies to the Tri-Cities.

The hottest day of the week should be Monday, with a high of 98, just a degree hotter than the forecast high for Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

But by Wednesday and Thursday highs should cool to 91 or 90 degrees. The normal average high for the Tri-Cities in July is 90, according to data from the weather service.

Water Follies weekend will be a little warmer, with highs in the mid-90s from Friday through Sunday, according to forecasts from the weather service and the Weather Channel.

Hundred degree and hotter temperatures will return for the end of July, according to the Weather Channel’s two-week forecast.

With fires burning across Washington, Oregon and Northern California, air quality will depend on wind direction.

But the weather service has revised its forecast for hazy, smoky skies Monday, predicting that the worst of the Oregon fire smoke carried by southwest winds will pass to the east of the Tri-Cities area.

Oregon, Washington fires

On Sunday, the Bootleg fire in the southern Oregon Cascade Mountains had grown to 466 square miles and was only 22% contained.

In the Blue Mountains, fire danger caused the closure of the Umatilla National Forest starting Friday, including the Bluewood, Olive Lake and Jubilee Lake campgrounds.

On Sunday the Lick Creek, or Dry Gulch, Fire started by lightning had burned 106 square miles and was 40% contained. There were 589 firefighters and other workers on 11 crews assigned to the fire.

Also in the Umatilla National Forest, the Green Ridge Fire had spread to about 1.5 square miles and was 15% contained. Some 294 firefighters and other workers were assigned to it.

Across the Oregon border, the Elbow Creek Fire had burned 17 square miles and was 10% contained.

Fires also were burning in northern Washington, including the Chuweah Creek Fire on the Colville Reservation, that has burned four homes. Sunday it had covered 55 square miles and was 30% contained.

This story was originally published July 18, 2021 at 11:18 AM.