Boise’s weekend forecast has a summertime feel — perhaps in an unwelcome way

Don’t look up this weekend, Boise. If you do, it might just be a sight that makes your eyes sore.

As summer-like heat moves into the Treasure Valley, so will hazy skies, as smoke from wildfires in Canada drifts into the Gem State. Nearly 100 fires are burning in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, signifying an unusually active start to North America’s wildfire season.

While other regions around the United States, such as northern Washington and even the Midwest, have been dealing with smoke-filled skies, Boise has largely escaped Canada’s smoky gift so far, thanks to wind patterns.

But that’s about to change. In fact, as of Thursday morning, the smoke had already begun arriving, even if unnoticeable to the naked eye.

“We’re already seeing wildfire smoke basically spread south and westward across the state,” National Weather Service meteorologist Jaret Rogers told the Idaho Statesman on Thursday. “On our visible satellite imagery (Thursday) morning, it’s a pretty thick layer of elevated smoke across much of the state.”

Satellite imagery showed smoke enveloping North and Central Idaho in the early hours of Thursday morning and slowly approaching Boise. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is monitoring the smoke and expects air quality throughout the state to stay between “good” and “moderate.”

An air quality index of “good” means there is no concern about air pollution, while an AQI of “moderate” means the air quality is acceptable, but those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution may be at risk.

Rogers said he expects the smoke to linger for at least another day or two.

“Probably most areas will remain hazy, kind of elevated without much reduction in surface visibility, but there could be some areas of thicker smoke,” Rogers said. “It does look like there may be some thicker smoke across the southern and eastern part of the state tomorrow.”

The wildfire smoke outlook for the near future depends on several factors, according to Rogers. These include how quickly firefighters can work on the blazes, where upper-level winds blow the smoke, and local conditions.

But one thing is certain: This is an active start to the season. Idaho’s wildfire season lasts through the summer and fall but typically peaks in late summer, according to Rogers.

“It’s kind of unusual this year that the fires are occurring so far north because Canada is later to warm up into the year compared to us,” Rogers said. “So it’s just been an unusual pattern over the past couple of weeks.”

The National Weather Service says the weekend also will see unusually hot weather around Boise, with highs in the 90s the next three days. The average high for May is only 74 degrees. The high of 91 on Saturday will approach a record for that date — it was 94 on May 20 in 1958.

The Weather Service also expects thunderstorms to roll into the region Sunday night. There is a 40% chance of storms from Boise to Mountain Home, while areas further west in the Treasure Valley have an even higher chance of receiving thunder and lightning.