Residents of Seattle are accustomed to regular rain, but summer wildfires are bringing a more unusual weather pattern: a blizzard of ash.

Blazes scorching Washington state poured smoke into the atmosphere and blanketed the state’s largest city with ash that “fell like snow”, according to the Seattle Times.

People in the Seattle metropolitan area found evidence of multiple fires coating their cars. Images shared on social media showed vehicles dusted with grey ash.

Summer is fire season on the West Coast, when soaring temperatures and dry brush spark conflagrations that often consume tens of thousands of acres and prompt government action to halt fires before they spread catastrophically. And 2017 has been a busy one.

Mansions burn in California wildfires Show all 7 1 /7 Mansions burn in California wildfires Mansions burn in California wildfires The local fire department has deployed up to five helicopters and six aircraft to drop water on the fire Getty Images Mansions burn in California wildfires Local residents watch as homes are threatened by the fire MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Mansions burn in California wildfires A helicopter dumps water onto flames on the hillside as houses burn MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Mansions burn in California wildfires Local residents Steve Wells (L) and Scott Douglas (R) pack their cars after police issued a mandatory evacuation order MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Mansions burn in California wildfires Santa Barbara County Fire officials said around 2,000 people were ordered to evacuate AFP Mark Ralston Mansions burn in California wildfires The wind-driven wildfire destroyed homes and forced hundreds of residents to flee in the California coastal town MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Mansions burn in California wildfires A large smoke cloud shrouds the sky as residents evacuate during the Jesusita Fire MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

In California, Gov. Jerry Brown has declared three states of emergency for three different blazes in the last week alone. Fires scorching the state of Oregon have blanketed areas in a grey haze and prompted the governor - who has similarly invoked the state's emergency fire act three times in the last month - to dispatch hundreds of additional firefighters.

Days ago Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency for every county, citing a “high risk of severe wildfires” due to above-average temperatures and dryness.