With shifting winds, smoke should start to move out of the Lake Tahoe Basin today according to the National Weather Service.

NWS officials issued a special weather statement that says to prepare for a significant heatwave for Labor Day Weekend.

Northeast to east winds on Tuesday will transport much of the smoke and haze out of the region by the afternoon, officials said. The Tahoe Basin was expected to be hazy during the morning but should be improved later in the day.

The Slink Fire burning near Coleville and Topaz has grown to 6,500 acres and has forced a highway closure and evacuations. Highway 395 is closed from Topaz Lane to 8.5 miles south at Eastside Lane in Walker.

On Monday night officials said “The highway is expected to be closed overnight and because of the nature of the fire, it is currently unknown when Caltrans will be able to reopen it. Motorists heading north to Nevada or Monitor Pass should seek an alternate route to their destination.”

Smoke trends for later in the week are uncertain and depend on fire activity, according to the NWS. Winds for Wednesday and Thursday will be light but will shift back out of the west and may allow smoke/haze from the California wildfires to seep back into the eastern Sierra and Western Nevada.

NWS has high confidence that a prolonged heat wave will arrive Thursday and last through the Labor Day weekend. Officials say the region may see record-high temperatures.

NWS is forecasting temps in the low 80s from Thursday through Monday with lows in the upper 50s.

Officials say there could be health impacts from spending prolonged periods outside and that it might be a good idea to have a backup plan or plan to do activities in the morning.