Weather forecast this weekend includes relief from smoke

After a months-long stretch of record-breaking heat and dry weather that stoked fires in Western Washington and spread smoke throughout the Seattle region for weeks, our rainy season is on its way, according to the National Weather Service Seattle.

Driving the news: The high pressure ridge and easterly winds that have trapped smoke in the Puget Sound will shift late Friday into Saturday, bringing an expected .33 inches of rain to the city and about 1 inch to the Cascades, according to weather service meteorologist Kirby Cook.

• "This would be just a normal October storm in a regular year, but will feel like an abrupt change now," he said.

Why it matters: Even Seattle's sun-loving heliophiles are sick (literally) of the smoke, and a good rain will put out the fires.

• While fewer acres have burned in Washington state this year than in recent fire seasons, the smoke has caused poor air quality that's unhealthy for vulnerable populations.
• In addition to smoke from the Bolt Creek Fire near Skykomish clouding local skies, smoke from the Nakia Creek Fire near Camas in Southwest Washington has billowed over Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.