The intensity of the smoke this week will be “hit or miss” depending on winds and fire behavior.

Smoke from wildfires in Alaska could cause very unhealthy air quality conditions and low visibility over the weekend in Anchorage, the state's largest city, officials said.

The haze is expected to subside by the middle of next week, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said.

A haze visible through Southcentral Alaska on Wednesday was caused by smoke from fires burning in Siberia that began flowing into Alaska in early July.

Scant snow is giving way to shaggy brown grass normally not seen until spring breakup, raising concerns now that conditions are increasingly ripe for a fast-moving fire at a time of year usually deep in the grip of winter.