Will the smoke come back? Today So Far

• Salmon are wowing viewers at the Ballard Locks.
• Spokane battles wildfires on multiple fronts.
• Will the wildfire smoke return to Western Washington soon?

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for Aug. 22, 2023.

Quick hits

• Seattle has started to chill out ... with more AC
• Pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the country, is moving indoors
• Video from a humpback 'whale spa' shows skin care is serious — and social

Salmon are making quite an impression at the Ballard Locks these days. The return through the lock's fish ladder, for spawning, has been considerable. That's good news for onlookers at the locks, and the local seals seem to feel it's good news, too. The return isn't breaking records, but it's the strongest in about 10 years. Check out Joshua McNichols' reporting for some photos and video of the salmon passing through our area.

By now, the air has cleared up around the Seattle area, after some pretty nasty wildfire smoke moved through the region. The next few days should be pretty good, too. But take advantage of it while you can. The exact air quality forecast is unknown, but one expert tells KUOW that there is "a decent chance" that the winds will shift and bring smoke back into the area by next weekend. Keep your air filters and N95 masks handy for the rest of the season, because wildfires in Washington and Canada continue to produce plenty of smoke.

Spokane is battling wildfires on multiple fronts. These blazes started over the weekend and have already scorched thousands of acres. Evacuations have begun, and an emergency has been declared over the threat. The fires have the potential to send smoke our way. One official with the Department of Natural Resources told KUOW that they are watching the region closely, as conditions are apt to make things worse in the weeks ahead, especially after the recent high temperatures and low humidity.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

Greg Lundgren is the Founder of Seattle's Museum of Museums, which is closing due to conditions at its aging buildings. (Sarah Leibovitz / KUOW)

DID YOU KNOW?

Washington has an official state fossil: the Columbian Mammoth. If you suspect that I'm about to reveal how some Washingtonians students led a campaign to get lawmakers to make this happen ... well, then you're right. As with most of Washington's "official" something or others, students got it done. In this case, kids from Windsor Elementary School near Cheney, Wash. were behind it back in the 1990s. It was a four-year effort before state lawmakers voted to make the extinct Mammuthus the state fossil in 1998. These animals were different than the woolly mammoth. They originally came to the continent millions of years ago, before dying out about 10,000 years ago. Fossils of these animals have been discovered throughout North America, including on the Olympic Peninsula.

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Monster hunters are conducting the largest search of Loch Ness in more than 50 years

Researchers and monster hunters gathered in the United Kingdom's Scottish Highlands to look for the eternally elusive Loch Ness Monster — the biggest search for the legendary beast in more than 50 years.

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