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Bolt Creek Fire smoke creeps into foothill communities

SEATTLE — Air scientists report that smoke from the Bolt Creek Fire has crept into Cascade foothill communities on the east side of Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.

In downtown Bothell, not only did people report seeing haze, they told KIRO 7 reporter Lauren Donovan they smelled smoke.

Chelsea Coryelle owns First & Main Design Market. The small-business owner has asthma and says the air quality has felt unbearable at times.

“As soon as I got to work this morning, I thought, OK, who’s barbecuing?,” said Coryelle.

High pressure is over the area, and based on its position and a low pressure center to our south, north-northeasterly wind will play a huge role in our weather Tuesday.

Phil Swartzendruber with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency says the impact on eastside communities like Bothell was considered moderate Tuesday.

“So just because you can smell it faintly, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s a big issue,” said Swartzendruber. “Noses aren’t good at scientifically telling us this is unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

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Wind will be strongest around the Fraser River Canyon, but most of the area will have north winds around 10 to 30 mph. Closer to the foothills, the wind will be a bit more easterly, pushing smoke from the Bolt Creek Fire over the area.

Wednesday will also be sunny and hazy, but the wind won’t be as breezy. Temperatures will be in the upper 70s and lower 80s.

Wednesday night, the wind will become more onshore with cooler ocean air moving in.

By Thursday, temperatures will fall into the upper 60s and lower 70s.

A few showers are possible late in the day on Friday, with mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 60s.

Temperatures will warm a bit this weekend with more sunshine, and by Monday we could be back into the upper 70s.

Fall starts on Thursday evening.