Smoke Forecast for Friday, August 16, 2024 9:30 AM

August 16 2024

Current Conditions

Beneficial rain fell across much of Montana again on Thursday. It helped to moderate fire behavior on existing fires and limit smoke production. Smoke from Canadian wildfires remains a concern across much of the eastern half of the state.

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

At 9:00 AM Friday, Libby, Thompson Falls, Great Falls, Malta, Sidney, Glendive, and Broadus were enduring Moderate air quality. Miles City, Havre, and Lewistown were experiencing air that is considered Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.

Friday morning’s satellite shows some heavier plumes of smoke over parts of Northeast Montana from wildfires burning in Canada.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

Surface smoke from Canadian wildfires will become less of a concern across Northeast Montana on Friday. A southwesterly flow will slowly disperse the smoke over this area. As a result, air quality values should gradually improve.

A stagnant weather pattern will be the theme across the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest for the foreseeable future. An area of low pressure will deepen along the Pacific coast, keeping things cool and unsettled in much of Washington and Oregon. At the same time, a strong area of high pressure will park itself over the Great Plains, including the eastern half of Montana. This places much of the Treasure State in a southwesterly flow, pumping monsoonal moisture into the state. It will also bring smoke from fires burning in Oregon and Idaho to the area.

The southwesterly flow will also bring daily chances for showers and storms. Because of the proximity of a low to the west and high pressure to the east, there will be a giant range in temperatures across the state, with triple digit heat possible under the ridge and more seasonable temperatures in Western Montana. The area of low pressure starts to push the ridge slightly east by the end of next week, providing more typical temperatures for all of Montana.

By late Saturday, the HRRR smoke model shows the light smoke across Northeast Montana gradually dissipating.

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
Wolf Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	5 miles west of Donnelly, ID	1,154	81%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho	19,825	0%
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 mi. NE of Cascade, Idaho	1,675	3%
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	1,968	11%
Goat Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	11 miles SE of Cascade, Idaho	999	0%
Middle Fork Complex Fire: Bulldog, Nellie, Anderson - IDBOF	Idaho	9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	9,207	0%
Bulltrout Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	15 miles WNW OF Stanley, ID	271	92%
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID	3,872	0%
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	31,545	42%
2024 Flat - IDIDS	Idaho	NA	3,115	14%
Paddock - IDBOD	Idaho	20 miles north of Emmett, Idaho	187,185	93%
Farrow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	500	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
Payette Wilderness Fires - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	NA	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
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
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%
Elkhorn Ridge - MTBRF	Montana	West Fork District	2,482	0%
Miller Peak Fire - MTLNF	Montana	7 miles southeast of Missoula	2,724	86%
Johnson Fire - MTBRF	Montana	3 miles west of the Springer Memorial Community in the East Fork on the Bitterroot NF	270	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%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	4,268	NA
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	5,597	25%
Willamette Complex Fires - South - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette Complex South fires are 8 miles north and 8 to 22 miles S-SE of Oakridge.	12,737	48%
Warner Peak Fire - ORSHR	Oregon	3 miles East of Plush, on the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge	65,002	51%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	24,934	37%
Cliff Mountain - ORWWF	Oregon	25 Miles East of Joseph, Oregon	1,108	75%
Dixon Fire - ORUPF	Oregon	Tiller, Oregon	1,997	11%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	9,930	29%
Telephone Fire - ORMAF	Oregon	16 miles north east of Burns, Oregon	54,034	95%
Falls Fire - ORMAF	Oregon	20 miles NW of Burns	151,680	95%
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Crater Lake National Park; Middle Fork area	5,075	0%
Crazy Creek - OROCF	Oregon	Crazy Creek:16 miles north of Paulina, OR	86,870	71%
Town Gulch - ORWWF	Oregon	Eagle Creek Rd Area, 24 Miles East of Baker City OR, 8 Miles N of Richland, OR	18,215	79%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness	659	0%
Whisky Creek Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR	1,938	9%
Sandstone Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	9 miles SW of Ripplebrook, OR, on the Mt. Hood National Forest	696	10%
Courtrock Fire - OR95S	Oregon	7.1 Miles south of Monument, OR	20,019	99%
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%
Ruby Fire - WANCP	Washington	On Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park by Diablo and Ross Lake, 9 miles East of Newhalem	820	0%
Williams Mine Fire-GPNF - WAGPF	Washington	3.5 miles NNW of Trout Lake WA	11,302	2%
Retreat - WASES	Washington	14 miles WSE of Naches, WA	45,601	80%
Lodgepole - WAOWF	Washington	16 miles west of Cliffdell, WA	35	5%
Kachess Complex - WAOWF	Washington	12 miles west of Cle Elum drainage	22	50%
Easy Fire - WAOWF	Washington	North Cascades Hwy 20 Corridor, 17 air miles west of Mazama, WA	2,130	29%
Pioneer - WASES	Washington	Approximate start 10 miles southeast of Stehekin, WA	38,721	23%
Cougar Creek Fire - WASES	Washington	1 mile west of Hwy 129 and Grand Ronde river intersection	24,091	65%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johannesburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park C.G.	189	0%

Source: Inciweb

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024