Smoky skies and more triple-digit highs forecast for Tri-Cities

A large fire continuing to burn in the Oregon Cascade Mountains is still the biggest contributor to the smoky haze hanging over the Tri-Cities, according to the National Weather Service.

It’s made for some spectacular sunsets and sunrises but air quality has not been as poor as in some other recent summers.

Air quality has been rated as “moderate,” one step worse than “good” on recent days.

The Washington state Department of Ecology forecasts air quality to continue to be moderate in Benton County through the weekend.

The National Weather Service forecasts more hazy skies for the Tri-Cities, and hotter weather is continuing even as September starts.

High temperatures are stretching beyond Labor Day weekend, reaching about 101 on Wednesday and 99 on Thursday, before a slow decline into the weekend, according to the weather service.

The smoke that has drifted toward the Tri-Cities most recently is from the Emigrant Fire burning in the Willamette National Forest near the border of Lane and Douglas counties in western Oregon.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center says it has burned 22,000 acres of mostly timber and was 0% contained as of Tuesday. It started after a lightning strike Sunday, Aug. 24.

This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Smoky skies and more triple-digit highs forecast for Tri-Cities."