Smoke Forecast for Wednesday, August 14, 2024 9:30 AM

August 14 2024

Current Conditions

Low pressure continues to slowly pull away from Montana on Wednesday. A few showers and storms are possible as this feature exits the area. Much of the smoke around the state on Wednesday is the result of wildfires burning in Oregon and Idaho.

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The Grouse fire burning in the Pioneer Mountains southwest of Wise River remains the wildfire of greatest concern in the state. It has grown to 4,166 acres with 22% of the fire contained. A crew of 212 people are assigned to the Grouse fire.

At 9:00 AM Tuesday, Columbia Falls, Thompson Falls, Missoula, Cut Bank, Great Falls, Dillon, Lewistown, Malta, and Havre were enduring Moderate air quality.

Wednesday morning’s satellite shows a trough exiting the state providing clouds and showers. Light smoke is visible across Montana from regional wildfires.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

Low pressure gradually pulls away from the Northern Rockies on Wednesday. A few showers and storms are possible once again, but precipitation won’t be nearly as widespread as it was the day prior. The precipitation should fizzle after sunset. Temperatures on Wednesday should be slightly cooler than Tuesday.

Numerous large fires continue to burn in Idaho. Thanks to a westerly flow, smoke from these fires will drift into the Treasure State. A weak cool front will slide south out of Canada on Thursday, as the flow becomes more northerly. This will send plumes of smoke from wildfires burning in Canada south into Montana.

High pressure builds over the region starting Saturday as a powerful low spins off the Pacific coast. This will result in a southwesterly flow across Montana, with smoke from upstream fires in Idaho and Oregon drifting into the area. High pressure will lead to the usual diurnal fluctuations in smoke. Expect to see smoke draining and pooling into the valleys overnight, leading to deteriorating air quality. In the afternoon, once the inversion breaks up, dispersion will increase and much of the smoke will be pushed away from the surface.

By late Thursday, the HRRR smoke model shows light smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting south into the state.

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
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID	3,104	0%
Bulltrout Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	15 miles WNW OF Stanley, ID	271	92%
Middle Fork Complex Fire: Bulldog, Nellie, Anderson - IDBOF	Idaho	9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	7,701	0%
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	31,256	38%
Cliff Mountain - IDPAF	Idaho	25 Miles East of Joseph, Oregon	1,108	20%
Paddock - IDBOD	Idaho	20 miles north of Emmett, Idaho	187,185	60%
Wolf Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	5 miles west of Donnelly, ID	1,154	61%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho	17,118	0%
Goat Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	11 miles SE of Cascade, Idaho	683	0%
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 mi. NE of Cascade, Idaho	1,580	0%
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	1,908	7%
Farrow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	396	NA
Monumental Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	11	NA
Wye Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately four and a half miles northwest of Freeman Peak and seven miles northeast of the Moose Creek Airstrip	4,451	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
Square Lake Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	All four fires are located within half a mile of each other: two and a half miles east of Concord, ID, less than a quarter acre east from Square Lake and less than a quarter acre west from Fish Lake.	30	NA
Ace Butte Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately 30 miles Southeast of Grangeville, Idaho	64	NA
Anchor Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	About half way between Hanover Mountain and Square Mountain in the Gospel Hump Wilderness	72	NA
Shepp Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately 30 miles Southwest of Elk City, Idaho	100	NA
Bench Lake Fire - IDSTF	Idaho	8 miles south of Stanley, Idaho	2,595	90%
Miller Peak Fire - MTLNF	Montana	7 miles southeast of Missoula	2,724	86%
Black Canyon Fire - MTMTS	Montana	31 Miles Southeast of Cascade, MT	270	5%
Grouse - MTBDF	Montana	Ten miles southwest of Wise River, MT	4,166	22%
Johnson Fire - MTBRF	Montana	3 miles west of the Springer Memorial Community in the East Fork on the Bitterroot NF	270	0%
Elkhorn Ridge - MTBRF	Montana	West Fork District	2,482	0%
Pentagon Fire - MTFNF	Montana	45 miles SE of Bigfork, MT	62	0%
Black Mountain - MTHLF	Montana	6 miles northwest of Lincoln. Mont.	182	87%
Warner Peak Fire - ORSHR	Oregon	3 miles East of Plush, on the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge	61,330	19%
Crazy Creek - OROCF	Oregon	Crazy Creek:16 miles north of Paulina, OR	86,603	63%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	23,451	26%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	4,024	NA
Telephone Fire - ORMAF	Oregon	16 miles north east of Burns, Oregon	53,999	65%
Falls Fire - ORMAF	Oregon	20 miles NW of Burns	151,666	89%
Dixon Fire - ORUPF	Oregon	Tiller, Oregon	1,997	0%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	8,885	29%
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	4,387	14%
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Middle Fork area, west of Crater Lake, Crater Lake National Park	4,929	0%
Town Gulch - ORWWF	Oregon	Eagle Creek Rd Area, 24 Miles East of Baker City OR, 8 Miles N of Richland, OR	18,188	42%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness	659	0%
Battle Mountain Complex - OR97S	Oregon	West and south of Ukiah, OR	182,870	87%
Sandstone Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	9 miles SW of Ripplebrook, OR, on the Mt. Hood National Forest	625	0%
Whisky Creek Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR	1,903	0%
Courtrock Fire - OR95S	Oregon	7.1 Miles south of Monument, OR	20,019	99%
Willamette Complex Fires - South - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette Complex fires are to the north and south of Oakridge.	12,537	38%
Porcupine Fire - ORBUD	Oregon	Porcupine Reservoir	6,491	95%
Lone Rock Fire - ORPRD	Oregon	Lonerock stretching to west of HWY 207 and south to HWY 19	137,222	98%
Badland Complex 2024 - ORVAD	Oregon	Baker County, Oregon	54,563	99%
Microwave Tower Fire - OR95S	Oregon	1 mile WSW of Mosier, OR	1,313	95%
Winding Waters Complex - OR97S	Oregon	23 miles east of Union, OR	752	83%
Durkee Fire - ORVAD	Oregon	1 mile west of Durkee, Oregon	294,265	95%
Easy Fire - WAOWF	Washington	North Cascades Hwy 20 Corridor, 17 air miles west of Mazama, WA	2,130	0%
Pioneer - WASES	Washington	Approximate start 10 miles southeast of Stehekin, WA	38,420	13%
Ruby Fire - WANCP	Washington	On Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park by Diablo and Ross Lake, 9 miles East of Newhalem	739	0%
Williams Mine Fire-GPNF - WAGPF	Washington	3.5 miles NNW of Trout Lake WA	10,968	0%
Cougar Creek Fire - WASES	Washington	1 mile west of Hwy 129 and Grand Ronde river intersection	24,091	60%
Retreat - WASES	Washington	14 miles WSE of Naches, WA	45,601	70%
Lodgepole - WAOWF	Washington	16 miles west of Cliffdell, WA	5	0%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johannesburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park C.G.	189	0%

Source: Inciweb

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024