AIR QUALITY ALERT has been extended through Saturday. Despite improving conditions overnight, elevated ozone levels will still pose a health risk on Saturday. Smoke will likely return Saturday evening into Sunday. Continue to limit time outdoors as much as possible.
Scattered thunderstorms rolling in along a warm front this evening will taper off after 9:00 PM. Westerly winds ushered in by the front will being to push the smoke out of the area, allowing for some brief improvement in air quality overnight. Partly cloudy skies are expected otherwise, with lows staying warm and muggy in the low 70s.
Conditions will be significantly clearer for the first half of Saturday, but elevated levels of ozone will still make for unhealthy air quality for people with respiratory ailments or heart conditions.
A cold front sweeping south across the state will bring scattered thunderstorms back to the area between noon and 4pm.
Some of the storms could be severe, with the threat of damaging winds, large hail, and even an isolated tornado. Stay weather aware, and be ready to seek shelter. Highs Saturday will reach the upper 80s.
Following the cold front, winds are expected to pivot back toward the northwest in the evening. This is expected to bring more smoke to the area, which will likely linger at least into Sunday. Whether air quality will return to the same hazardous levels remains to be seen, but we should be prepared for that possibility. Skies will be mostly sunny outside of any smoke on Sunday, with slightly milder highs in the low 80s.
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Smoke trends will be monitored day to day as we head into next week, but depending on how long the fires continue to burn, it could be a factor in our forecast for much of the week. Isolated storms will return on Monday, with additional storms possible Tuesday. Highs will remain in the mid 80s to start the week.
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