wait for the smoke to clear

To wait until a period of intense controversy, turmoil, unrest, etc., has calmed down or returned to a state of normality. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami wreaked havoc on the city, but we will have to wait for the smoke to clear to know the true scope of the destruction. Some analysts are worried that the controversy will cause the stock market to collapse, though others think we should wait for the smoke to clear before jumping to any conclusions.