As heat bakes Whatcom, here’s how wildfire smoke could become an issue

Bellingham so far has been spared the worst of a heat wave that’s baking much of the West Coast like a convection oven, but above-average temperatures remain possible and so does the threat of wildfire smoke.

Smoke from British Columbia wildfires could create some hazy skies over the next few days, but the smoke itself should not affect air quality near the ground, according to the Northwest Clean Air Agency and other Washington state monitoring services.

Environment Canada, however, has issued a special weather statement for the Vancouver area and the Fraser Valley for high ozone levels.

“Wildfire smoke from the Nohomin Creek fire (near Lytton, B.C.) may occasionally contribute to hazy conditions over the region but there has been no significant impact on measured fine particulate matter concentrations at ground level,” the Canadian weather agency said online.

Bellingham and Whatcom County remain under a heat advisory but most of the region has been cooler than other parts of Western Washington because of a cooling sea breeze.

But temperatures likely will remain at least 10 degrees above the seasonal norm of 74 through the weekend, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Seattle.

“Smoke aloft from wildfires up in British Columbia will produce hazy skies throughout the day. No impacts are expected at the surface but a picturesque sunset could be in the offing,” meteorologist Devore’a McMillian said online.

A high of 90 at Bellingham International Airport on Tuesday, July 26, broke the record of 86 degrees from 1988, but the high of 81 degrees on Wednesday, July 27, was far below the record mark of 90 from 1958.

A high of 84 was forecast for Thursday, July 28, and the record mark for that date is 90 from 2009.

Warmer temperatures are expected inland and Environment Canada is predicting a high of 91 for Abbotsford, B.C., just across the border from Lynden and Sumas.

To help people cope with the heat in Whatcom County, where few homes, apartments and public buildings have air conditioning, government officials have posted a list of places where people can keep cool during the day.

Air-conditioned libraries in the Whatcom County Library System include Blaine, Deming, Everson, Ferndale, Lummi Island, Lynden, Kendall, Point Roberts and Sudden Valley, the county said at its general news website on Tuesday, July 26.

Other air-conditioned locations include Base Camp in Bellingham, Lynden Community and Senior Center, Ferndale City Hall, Ferndale Public Library, Pioneer Pavilion in Ferndale and the East Whatcom Regional Resource Center in Kendall.