Smoke Forecast for Thursday, August 15, 2024 9:30 AM

August 15 2024

Current Conditions

Several fires burning in Idaho expanded again on Wednesday. Light smoke from these blazes continues to drift into Montana. Per Inciweb, there are 22 active fires burning in Idaho covering more than 260,000 acres. By contrast, in Montana there are only 7 active fires burning a little over 10,000 acres.

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An Air Quality Alert is in effect for all of Northeast Montana until 10AM Friday because of elevated particulate levels from wildfire smoke. The alert includes Phillips, Valley, Daniels, Sheridan, Roosevelt, Petroleum, Garfield, McCone, Richland, Dawson, Prairie, Wibaux Counties.

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 161 people are assigned to the Grouse fire. The town of Wise River received almost a tenth of an inch of rain on Wednesday, which likely helped moderate fire behavior on this wildfire.

At 9:00 AM Thursday, Libby, Thompson Falls, Frenchtown, Great Falls, Cut Bank, Lewistown, Bozeman, Broadus, and Sidney were enduring Moderate air quality. Malta is experiencing air that is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.

Thursday morning’s satellite shows light smoke covering much of Montana from fires burning in and out of the state.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

Numerous wildfires continue to gradually expand across Idaho. These fires will send areas of light smoke into the Treasure State again on Thursday. A system will trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms once again on Thursday. Heavy rain, frequent lightning, and gusty winds will be the main threats from these storms. Outflow winds from these storms could create erratic fire behavior on existing wildfires.

Smoke models continue to advertise a weak cool front sliding south out of Canada Thursday and Friday. Wildfire smoke from Canadian fires will sag south, impacting much of northern and northeast Montana.

Scattered showers and storms will remain a possibility Friday and into the weekend. A southwesterly flow will send plumes of smoke from fires burning in Oregon and Idaho into Montana. A trough will move inland from the Pacific coast. There is still quite a bit of disagreement amongst the models as to how far east the trough will get. The further east it gets, the cooler it will be across Montana, with better chances of precipitation. Stay tuned!

By late Friday, 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
Goat Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	11 miles SE of Cascade, Idaho	981	0%
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 mi. NE of Cascade, Idaho	1,666	0%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho	19,563	0%
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	1,948	9%
Wolf Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	5 miles west of Donnelly, ID	1,154	71%
Middle Fork Complex Fire: Bulldog, Nellie, Anderson - IDBOF	Idaho	9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	8,308	0%
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	31,397	42%
Cliff Mountain - IDPAF	Idaho	25 Miles East of Joseph, Oregon	1,108	75%
Paddock - IDBOD	Idaho	20 miles north of Emmett, Idaho	187,185	77%
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID	3,646	0%
Bulltrout Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	15 miles WNW OF Stanley, ID	271	92%
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
Cracker Jack Complex - 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.	89	NA
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
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%
Grouse - MTBDF	Montana	Ten miles southwest of Wise River, MT	4,166	22%
Black Canyon Fire - MTMTS	Montana	30 Miles NW of White Sulphur Springs, MT	233	20%
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%
Black Mountain - MTHLF	Montana	6 miles northwest of Lincoln. Mont.	182	87%
Pentagon Fire - MTFNF	Montana	45 miles SE of Bigfork, MT	62	0%
Dixon Fire - ORUPF	Oregon	Tiller, Oregon	1,997	4%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	24,103	31%
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Middle Fork area, west of Crater Lake, Crater Lake National Park	5,075	0%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	9,663	29%
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%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness	659	0%
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	4,387	14%
Town Gulch - ORWWF	Oregon	Eagle Creek Rd Area, 24 Miles East of Baker City OR, 8 Miles N of Richland, OR	18,188	62%
Battle Mountain Complex - OR97S	Oregon	West and south of Ukiah, OR	182,951	90%
Willamette Complex Fires - South - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette Complex fires are to the north and south of Oakridge.	12,668	48%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	4,187	NA
Whisky Creek Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR	1,905	7%
Sandstone Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	9 miles SW of Ripplebrook, OR, on the Mt. Hood National Forest	671	0%
Warner Peak Fire - ORSHR	Oregon	3 miles East of Plush, on the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge	65,002	40%
Courtrock Fire - OR95S	Oregon	7.1 Miles south of Monument, OR	20,019	99%
Crazy Creek - OROCF	Oregon	Crazy Creek:16 miles north of Paulina, OR	86,603	63%
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%
Ruby Fire - WANCP	Washington	On Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park by Diablo and Ross Lake, 9 miles East of Newhalem	739	0%
Kachess Complex - WAOWF	Washington	12 miles west of Cle Elum drainage	21	NA
Cougar Creek Fire - WASES	Washington	1 mile west of Hwy 129 and Grand Ronde river intersection	24,091	60%
Williams Mine Fire-GPNF - WAGPF	Washington	3.5 miles NNW of Trout Lake WA	11,149	2%
Easy Fire - WAOWF	Washington	North Cascades Hwy 20 Corridor, 17 air miles west of Mazama, WA	2,130	29%
Lodgepole - WAOWF	Washington	16 miles west of Cliffdell, WA	35	0%
Retreat - WASES	Washington	14 miles WSE of Naches, WA	45,601	70%
Pioneer - WASES	Washington	Approximate start 10 miles southeast of Stehekin, WA	38,708	18%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johannesburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park C.G.	189	0%

Source: Inciweb

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024