EVERETT, Wash. — Northeasterly winds are pushing smoke from Canadian wildfires into the western Washington region beginning Tuesday. This comes alongside high temperatures.

According to the Washington Smoke Blog, smoke will primarily hit eastern Whatcom, Skagit and northern Snohomish counties.

KING 5's live cameras showed wildfire smoke haze over Tacoma and Seattle as well.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said the smoke will remain mainly aloft, meaning much of it will remain high up in the atmosphere, though some of it will drift low enough to make an impact on air quality. 

Air quality dropped into the moderate range on Tuesday and, for the most part, is expected to remain there through the rest of the week, according to IQ Air forecasts.

The Smoke Blog said haze may be noticeable across western Washington until westerly offshore winds return Thursday, pushing it out of the region. 

Smoke from the Placer Creek Fire in Southern British Columbia is also impacting communities in northeastern Washington. Satellite images showed the smoke plume moving southeast across the Washington border. 

Fire weather danger

A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for the western slopes of the north and central Cascades, generally above 1,500 feet, and the Black Hills area and southwest interior lowlands from Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening. 

During the Fire Weather Watch, the NWS warns of hot, dry and unstable conditions for those areas. Gusty winds are expected along with low humidity. That, combined with warm temperatures, can contribute to the rapid spread of fires, should they spark. 

Humidity during the warning period will be as low as 24%, paired with moderate breezes and warm temperatures.