Temperatures dropped across Western Washington on Thursday after a sweltering day Wednesday, but a Heat Advisory remains in effect for parts of the region, according to the National Weather Service.
The advisory covers areas from Pierce County northward along the eastern side of Puget Sound and is expected to remain in effect until Thursday evening.
While not as extreme as Wednesday, forecasters say temperatures will still be above normal, with highs reaching the upper 80s in some spots.
Seattle hit 94 degrees on Wednesday, making it the hottest day of the year so far, though it fell short of setting a record.
Thursday’s high is expected to reach 86 degrees—about 6 to 9 degrees cooler than the previous day.
Haze and upper-level wildfire smoke remain in the area, primarily due to the Bear Gulch fire and additional smoke drifting in from Canada.
While most areas are seeing “good” to “moderate” air quality levels, some people have reported being able to smell the smoke.
Conditions are expected to improve Friday as onshore winds increase, bringing in cleaner, marine air.
Friday’s forecast calls for morning clouds and highs in the upper 70s to low 80s, with clouds sticking around through most of the day before clearing late.
The weekend is expected to bring further cooling, with temperatures in the 70s and a return to the region’s typical summer pattern—morning marine cloud cover followed by partly to mostly sunny afternoons.
Smoke and haze may still drift into the region off and on as long as the Bear Gulch fire remains uncontained.
Looking ahead to next week, highs should climb back into the upper 70s and low 80s.
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