Swell. UPDATED

Got this from RPIN, the Regional Public Information Network, which is sort of a reverse-911 that works through email and text messaging, for King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties.

Unhealthy levels of smog forecast for parts of King and Pierce counties

July 24, 2009 – High levels of ozone pollution (smog) are being forecast by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for the Cascade foothills of King and Pierce counties and are expected to reach the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG)" category. These conditions will develop over the course of this weekend as the region comes under the influence of a hot and stagnant weather pattern.

Exposure to ground-level ozone can trigger asthma attacks, make breathing difficult, exacerbate lung and heart problems and weaken the immune system. The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors. Air pollution is especially harmful to children, people with heart and lung problems, and adults over age 65.

Smoggy conditions will mostly impact communities in the Cascade foothills of King and Pierce counties. These outlying suburban and rural areas accumulate pollution generated by traffic and activities in the urban areas of Everett, Seattle and Tacoma.

Air quality is predicted to decline beginning on Saturday afternoon into the Moderate category. Conditions are expected to worsen to USG levels by late Sunday and remain through Wednesday night.

Monitor current ozone levels athttp://www.pscleanair.org/airq/aqiozone.aspx#.
To learn about the extended air quality forecast, read our forecast discussion at: http://www.pscleanair.org/fcstdisc.aspx .

Minimizing summertime ozone takes year-round effort. It's changing everyday behaviors that can add up to cleaner, less smoggy air. To learn more about smog and what you can to lessen the pollution leading up to it, visit www.pscleanair.org/airq/basics/weather/smog.aspx .

And this was in the Weather Underground report this AM:

Statement as of 5:47 AM PDT on July 25, 2009

... Hot weather is in store for western Washington...

Temperatures will once again climb above normal this weekend for
most of western Washington... with very hot weather persisting
through much of next week. Daytime high temperatures will climb into
the 85 to 95 degree range across much of the area. Overnight lows
are also expected to be quite mild... in the upper 50s to mid 60s at
many places. This will make for the warmest weather of the year so
far... with temperatures approaching record values.

It appears that the warmest days will be Monday through
Thursday... particularly over the interior. It is rare to have
several hot days in a row in western Washington... as is the case
here. Temperatures may return to normal early next weekend.

Persistent dry weather along with the potential for lightning this
weekend... followed by hot weather next week... will only
increase the concern for more wildfires in western Washington. This
upcoming weather pattern may also lead to deteriorating air quality
in the region.

Monitor forecasts from the National Weather Service in Seattle
for updates on this event.

Along with this:

Fire Weather Warning

Statement as of 8:34 AM PDT on July 25, 2009

... Red flag warning in effect from 2 PM this afternoon to 5 am
PDT Sunday...

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a red flag
warning... which is in effect from 2 PM this afternoon to 5 am PDT
Sunday.

An upper level low pressure center will help thunderstorms to
first develop over the north Cascades this afternoon. Once storms
develop... they will first move in an unusual southwesterly
direction toward the north interior of Washington early this
evening and then south through the central Cascades and the Puget
Sound lowlands later this evening. Thunderstorms could also clip
the east slopes of the Olympic Mountains.

Some of these thunderstorms are expected to be unusually prolific
lightning producers. Given the expected abundance of lightning and
critically dry fuel states... multiple fire ignitions are expected.

One thing that makes this round of lightning so critical is that
it will be followed up on Sunday and Monday by a building heat
wave. Unlike western Washington's typical lightning pattern which
is followed by cool marine air... this lightning pattern will be
followed by hot... dry and increasingly unstable weather on
Sunday... Monday and Tuesday. This will make holdover and sleeper
fires a much greater concern than with a more typical lightning
episode for western Washington.

Please relay this message to fire and engine crews in the field.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

People who will be outdoors from this afternoon through tonight
should be aware of the lightning threat and the enhanced threat of
wildfires. Make an extra effort to fully extinguish campfires and
report any new wildfires which you might see. Firefighting
agencies should be ready for several busy days of initial attack.

A red flag warning is issued when dry lightning or the combination
of strong winds and low humidities are imminent or occurring.

s*i*g*h

In July and August we get less rain here than they do the same days in Tucson.

This area really isn't meant to be that dry, for that long.

UPDATE: So, we drove to Salem(ish) this morning for Mrs. Drang's family reunion, and then back again this evening, so that we can attend the Highland Games in Enumclaw tomorrow.

Smog Alert in the Portland/Vancouver area, too: "Limit Driving".

As we neared home, I started sniffing the air. Mrs. Drang looked at me sharply. "I smell rain."

Yeah, right.

"No, really, I do. Look! The pavement by the median is wet! I wonder if they were hosing down the grass in the median for wild fire danger."

"I don't think so, look, the middle of each lane of the highway is wet, too."

And then the windshield started getting spattered. "Oh, look, we're going to get spit on."

A couple of minutes later: "Some spitting, I have to turn on the wipers..."

Evidence of rain at Mrs. Drang's father's house, but not ours. Ratbane was particularly disappointed, he likes to go out in the rain, get soaking wet, come in and get toweled off, and then go back out again.