smokeSmoke somewhat obscures nan position of nan Coastal Mountains, including Devils Thumb, from Hungry Point successful Petersburg connected Aug. 6, 2024. (Shelby Herbert/KFSK)

Southeast Alaska has almost a afloat week of sunshine ahead, but those bluish skies will beryllium somewhat dingy pinch fume from wildfires successful Canada.

Numerous fires are burning crossed British Columbia, nan Northwest Territories, nan Yukon and moreover arsenic acold distant arsenic Alberta. And they’re producing conscionable capable fume to commencement hazing up nan skies successful nan Panhandle — particularly successful nan confederate half, which contains Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketchikan. 

But Brian Bezenek, nan lead meteorologist pinch nan National Weather Service successful Juneau, said it’s thing for Southeast Alaskans to interest about. A flimsy haze whitethorn beryllium nan worst of it — astatine least, for now. 

“If it persists for a agelong time, it whitethorn go an issue,” Bezenek said. “But correct now, I think it’s much of conscionable a high, bladed furniture of fume coming in. Mainly what you’re seeing is nan precocious particles — and unless you’re smelling nan smoke, you’re astir apt not seeing a full batch astatine nan little levels.

That’s each to opportunity that Bezenek doesn’t expect that nan fume will impact aerial recreation aliases inconvenience group successful susceptible groups — for illustration nan elderly, children, aliases those pinch definite aesculapian conditions. 

He said it’s still imaginable that Southeast Alaskans mightiness get to bask a fewer smokeless and cloudless skies earlier nan rains return. Bezenek predicts that nan activity of fume should abate aft a large debased pushes it retired of nan measurement earlier nan weekend.