The smoky umbrella that has covered much of the North Olympic Peninsula — indeed, the entire Northwest and now stretching to Minnesota — might close this weekend.
Although committing to no more than a 40 percent chance, the National Weather Service on Thursday forecast showers accompanying a traditional cloud cover.
You might call it June gloom in July.
A disturbance dipping down from the Gulf of Alaska will move into the region as early as Saturday.
Cooler temperatures will prevail — and there might be a passing shower, the National Weather Service said, giving the Peninsula and Western Washington its first measurable precipitation since May.
It’s also expected to reduce the smoke that’s been aloft from a spate of wildfires in British Columbia.
Haze from smoke drifting south from the wildfires as well as others in Canada’s midsection has lingered over parts of eastern Colorado, giving Denver the same type of red sun that’s been seen this week on the Peninsula and along Puget Sound.
Locally, most of the smoke is too high overhead to reduce air quality on the ground, air monitors have said.
Real-time air pollution readings can be accessed at the state Department of Ecology website, https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa.
Peninsula air quality readings can be found at http://www.orcaa.org/air/current-air-quality.
