EVERETT — A thick fog that settled in Snohomish County like a stubborn squatter for nearly a week should take its leave Tuesday afternoon.
The soupy mist arrived on Thursday and refused to leave the lowlands.
It earlier spent four days blanketing the area between Jan. 8 and 11.
Monday marked the 11th straight day of dry weather at the Snohomish County Airport at Paine Field. At Sea-Tac International Airport the stretch extended to a 15th day.
Both streaks are expected to end Tuesday with rain forecast by evening.
“We are talking 11 days without rain and the fog has been around for the last week,” said Andy Haner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
The combination of rain, rising temperatures and wind should help clear the stagnant air that has hovered over the area in recent weeks.
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency on Monday lifted air-quality burn bans in King and Snohomish counties because of the winds and warming pattern. People who are sensitive to air pollution had been urged to limit time spent outdoors because the conditions could have triggered asthma attacks and breathing difficulties while making lung and heart problems worse.
The National Weather Service issued an air stagnation advisory for much of Puget Sound through noon Tuesday because pollutants, such as wood smoke and vehicle emissions, were getting trapped close to the ground.
Only twice during the past 12 days has the temperature cracked 40. Below freezing temperatures were recorded from Jan. 10 through 19, making for early mornings scraping car windshields before work.
Temperatures in Everett could break 50 degrees Tuesday. Rain is likely Tuesday and Wednesday and there’s a chance of rain through Sunday.
The return to the wet norm of a Puget Sound January shouldn’t seem too bad for those tired of the stagnant air, Haner said.
Across the country, snow is possible in parts of the Northeast and temperatures could be 25 degrees below average in the upper Midwest.
“There is a lot of weather that makes our gray rain look good,” Haner said.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.
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