Slightly cooler temperatures, with more smoke

Welcome to Thursday! Today we will see the low pressure system off the California coast continue to stream moisture into Southern and Central Oregon.

Our area has been dealing with heavy wildfire smoke. Today conditions are “Very Unhealthy” in much of Deschutes and Crook counties, where Air Quality Advisories are in effect. In addition to compromised air quality, smoke also provides some shade and sky cover that can make determining actual potential for thunderstorms challenging.

Yesterday afternoon and evening, the storms were minimal and mainly confined south of Redmond. As of now, some activity has picked up in south central Oregon near Crater Lake.

It appears that most of the storms in the forecast will stay primarily south of our area, with potential for a storm or two along the southern Deschutes National Forest this evening

Wind today will be coming in from the west and gusting around 10-20 mph in most areas. The prevailing wind direction this afternoon will likely bring more wildfire smoke into our area.

Highs today are in the 80s and 90s, giving us just a few degrees of relief from those triple-digit temperatures earlier this week.

Don't forget to download our free KTVZ Local Alert Weather app for the most current conditions and we'll help keep you safe with customizable alerts.

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