Smoke Forecast for Wednesday, August 7, 2024 9:00 AM

August 07 2024

Current Conditions

A wetting rain fell across much of Montana on Tuesday, and some of the higher terrain around Glacier National Park received more than an inch of precipitation. The rain helped moderate fire behavior on existing wildfires, reducing smoke production.

The Grouse fire burning in the Pioneer Mountains 10 miles southwest of Wise River has been the most active fire in Western Montana of late. Some rain fell on the fire Tuesday but only .04” fell in Wise River. The Grouse fire has burned 3,500 acres and is 5% contained.

At 8:00 AM Wednesday, Libby, Thompson Falls, Frenchtown, Hamilton, Butte, Great Falls, Bozeman, and Broadus were enduring Moderate air quality.

Wednesday morning’s satellite shows a heavy plume of smoke across Idaho and Wyoming. A cool front is providing clouds and showers over Central Montana.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

A northwesterly flow will provide much cooler air for the region on Wednesday, particularly east of the Continental Divide. The cooler temperatures and higher humidity should help moderate fire behavior and limit smoke production. Showers are possible on Wednesday over Central Montana, but it will be nothing like the heavy rain and thunderstorms the region experienced the day prior.

There are still numerous large, active fires burning upstream in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Thanks to the northerly push of air, much of the smoke from these fires will stay out of the Treasure State. However, the northerly flow will bring some surface smoke into the state from wildfires burning in Canada. Much of this smoke will remain aloft so significant impacts due to smoke are unlikely.

Montana should remain under a zonal flow between Friday and early next week. This will keep things unsettled, with nearly daily chances of rain. The combination of seasonably cool air and the threat of rain should keep smoke production from regional wildfires in check. Stay tuned!

By Thursday night, the HRRR smoke model shows smoke from Canadian wildfires sagging south into Montana.

Source: HRRR Smoke

Conditions can change quickly as weather could stimulate active fires and the likelihood of new starts increases. Please keep track of concentrations at todaysair.mtdeq.us or the Fire and Smoke Map.

Current Wildfires

Current Wildfires
Incident	State	location	acres	containment
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	25,803	8%
Cliff Mountain - IDPAF	Idaho	25 Miles East of Joseph, Oregon	1,108	20%
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID	740	0%
Bulltrout Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	15 miles WNW OF Stanley, ID	271	65%
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	1,023	6%
Wolf Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	5 miles west of Donnelly, ID	1,149	14%
Wye Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately four and a half miles northwest of Freeman Peak and seven miles northeast of the Moose Creek Airstrip	3,760	NA
Anchor Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	About half way between Hanover Mountain and Square Mountain in the Gospel Hump Wilderness	72	NA
Ace Butte Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately 30 miles Southeast of Grangeville, Idaho	64	NA
Shepp Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately 30 miles Southwest of Elk City, Idaho	100	NA
Bluff Creek Complex - IDIPF	Idaho	The fires are burning along both sides of the Bluff Ridge, approximately 13 1/2 miles southeast of Avery, ID; five and a half miles west from Gold Creek Campground; and approximately two miles northwest of Junction Ridge.	432	NA
2024 Gwen Fire - IDIDS	Idaho	South of Juliaetta Idaho, about 30 miles outside Lewiston near State Highway 3 in Latah County	28,820	90%
Bench Lake Fire - IDSTF	Idaho	8 miles south of Stanley, Idaho	2,595	90%
Oxbow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	Near Oxbow dam in Hells Canyon	6,000	NA
Texas Fire - IDIDS	Idaho	Two miles East of Kendrick, ID	1,582	90%
Billy Creek Fire - IDIDS	Idaho	14.71 Miles SSE of Asotin, WA	3,185	74%
Thunder Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	12 miles south, southwest of Salmon, ID	2,474	75%
Grouse - MTBDF	Montana	Ten miles southwest of Wise River, MT	3,500	NA
Pentagon Fire - MTFNF	Montana	45 miles SE of Bigfork, MT	62	0%
Johnson Fire - MTBRF	Montana	3 miles west of the Springer Memorial Community in the East Fork	270	0%
Miller Peak Fire - MTLNF	Montana	7 miles southeast of Missoula	2,724	75%
Black Mountain - MTHLF	Montana	6 miles northwest of Lincoln. Mont.	180	35%
Muir Creek Fire - MTGNP	Montana	20 miles southeast of West Glacier, MT and east of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River	30	0%
Butler Creek Fire - MTMTS	Montana	5 miles northwest of Missoula	284	100%
Horse Gulch Fire - MTHLF	Montana	1/2 mile north of Canyon Ferry Dam near Helena, Montana	15,167	100%
Deadman Fire - MTMTS	Montana	Approx 17 mi south of Birney and north of the Tongue River Reservoir in Rosebud and Big Horn Counties	47,827	NA
Courtrock Fire - OR95S	Oregon	7.1 Miles south of Monument, OR	20,019	77%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	15,830	9%
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	2,851	14%
Oakridge Lightning Fires 2024 - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette Complex fires are to the north and south of Oakridge.	11,734	0%
Durkee Fire - ORVAD	Oregon	1 mile west of Durkee, Oregon	294,265	95%
Telephone Fire - ORMAF	Oregon	16 miles north east of Burns, Oregon	53,388	31%
Lone Rock Fire - ORPRD	Oregon	Lonerock stretching to west of HWY 207 and south to HWY 19	137,222	92%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	6,630	11%
Ore Fire - ORWIF	Oregon	7 Miles NE of Blue River, OR	2,001	29%
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Middle Fork area, west of Crater Lake, Crater Lake National Park	2,315	1%
Microwave Tower Fire - OR95S	Oregon	1 mile WSW of Mosier, OR	1,313	89%
Whisky Creek Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR	1,330	0%
Porcupine Fire - ORBUD	Oregon	Porcupine Reservoir	5,000	25%
Sandstone Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	NA	350	0%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness	498	0%
Falls Fire - ORMAF	Oregon	20 miles NW of Burns	147,161	75%
Crazy Creek - OROCF	Oregon	Crazy Creek:16 miles north of Paulina, OR	71,625	19%
Adam Mountain - ORUPF	Oregon	Approximately 6 miles southeast of Dorena, Oregon	12,645	9%
Badland Complex 2024 - ORVAD	Oregon	Baker County, Oregon	54,563	99%
Winding Waters Complex - OR97S	Oregon	23 miles east of Union, OR	752	83%
Cow Valley Fire - ORVAD	Oregon	West of Brogan and Northwest of Vale	133,490	99%
Salt Creek - OR710S	Oregon	5 miles SSW of Butte Falls, Oregon	4,102	100%
Larch Creek Fire - OR95S	Oregon	Friend, OR, a rural community	18,286	81%
Cougar Creek Fire - WASES	Washington	1 mile west of Hwy 129 and Grand Ronde river intersection	20,699	35%
Retreat - WASES	Washington	14 miles southwest of Naches, WA	44,588	64%
Pioneer - WASES	Washington	Approximate start 10 miles southeast of Stehekin, WA	36,763	12%
Swawilla Fire - WACOA	Washington	North of Columbia River, East of Swawilla Basin, West of Hwy 21	53,462	94%
Bridge Creek - WACOA	Washington	North of Bridge Creek, East of Elbow River	3,998	100%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johannesburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park C.G.	115	0%
Lower Granite Fire - WANES	Washington	Northeast of Pomeroy, WA	14,482	100%
Easy Fire - WAOWF	Washington	North Cascades Hwy 20 Corridor, 17 air miles west of Mazama, WA	1,056	0%
Black Canyon - WASES	Washington	10 Miles NW, Naches, WA	9,211	99%
South Columbia Basin - WANES	Washington	9.5 Miles WSW of Cheney, WA	252	100%
Big Horn Fire - WASES	Washington	7 miles SE of Bickleton Washington, and 7 miles N of Roosevelt, Washington	51,569	100%

Source: Inciweb

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024