Warm and sunny 4th of July weekend, fire danger remains high

A change in wind direction today will drift upper level smoke from the fires burning in Canada southward into Washington. The good news is our strong marine push will keep the higher concentrated smoke to our east, but Whatcom and Skagit counties, Foothills, and the Cascades will see hazy conditions. Small smoke particles will produce a colorful sunset tonight! Send your photos! 

If you plan to travel to Eastern WA this holiday weekend, smoke looks to make it to the surface and affect air quality. A Heat Advisory and an Excessive Heat Warning are also in effect through Sunday. 

The other big weather story: Hurricane Elsa. It is the first hurricane of the Atlantic season and spaghetti plots are in good agreement that it will head to Florida by early Tuesday and weaken into a Tropical Storm.

Fourth of July holiday weekend looks great but with above normal temperatures and bone dry conditions, fire danger remains high so keep that in mind as you celebrate.

If you're heading to the Mariners game, it will be a warm one. 77° at first pitch at 7:10pm.

We'll carry the sunshine into next week with highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s.

Have a safe holiday weekend!
-Q13 Meteorologist Grace Lim