Smoke Forecast for Wednesday, August 21, 2024

August 21 2024

Current Conditions

Beneficial rain fell across much of Montana again on Tuesday. The precipitation was accompanied by numerous lightning strikes and new fire starts are possible in the coming days.

Unfortunately, the Wye fire burning in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho about 30 miles west of Hamilton didn’t receive any rain on Tuesday. The fire has burned 4,551 acres with 0% of the fire contained. A crew of 4 people are assigned to the Wye fire. The fire will continue to send smoke into portions of Western Montana.

Through Tuesday morning, there have been 1,600 fires in Montana that have burned a total of 113,613 acres.

At 9:00 AM Tuesday, Libby, Dillon, Great Falls, Broadus, Miles City, Glendive, and Sidney were enduring Moderate air quality.

Wednesday morning’s satellite shows some smoke over Montana as a trough shifts across the Northern Rockies providing clouds and even some light rain.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

While parts of Montana received beneficial rain on Tuesday, much of Central Idaho where several large active fires are burning did not. A southwesterly flow will continue Wednesday, pumping smoke from these Idaho fires into the western half of Montana. Fortunately, much of this smoke will remain aloft, so there won’t be any significant impacts to surface air quality.

A trough marches across the region on Wednesday. It will be the focus for another round of showers and thunderstorms for Montana. Some of the storms could contain frequent lightning and gusty winds. The trough exits on Thursday, allowing temperatures to quickly warm-up. The low pressure off the coast of British Columbia sags south, bringing even warmer air to Montana by Friday. A southwesterly flow will persist through Friday, which should keep at least some light smoke from Idaho wildfires over the western half of the state.

A trough begins to move over the Northern Rockies by Friday night. It will provide some much-needed rain for the region. Even the fires burning in Central Idaho will see some rain, which will eventually limit smoke production downstream in Montana. Cooler air with good chances for rain will persist into the upcoming weekend.

By midday Thursday, the HRRR smoke model shows smoke moving into Southwest Montana from fires burning in the mountains of Central Idaho.

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
Middle Fork Complex Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	28,052	5%
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	2,305	39%
Goat Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	11 miles SE of Cascade, Idaho	1,718	0%
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 miles NE of Cascade, Idaho	2,449	0%
Wolf Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	5 miles west of Donnelly, ID	1,154	95%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho	23,100	2%
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	32,439	82%
2024 Flat - IDIDS	Idaho	1 mile east of Pioneerville, ID	3,668	24%
Bulltrout Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	15 miles WNW OF Stanley, ID	271	92%
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID	13,997	10%
Monumental Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	11	NA
Burnt Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	200	NA
Farrow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	500	NA
Wye Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately four and a half miles northwest of Freeman Peak and seven miles northeast of the Moose Creek Airstrip	5,015	NA
Ace Butte Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately 30 miles Southeast of Grangeville, Idaho	134	NA
Anchor Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	About half way between Hanover Mountain and Square Mountain in the Gospel Hump Wilderness	115	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.	265	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
Elkhorn Ridge - MTBRF	Montana	West Fork District	2,482	0%
Pentagon Fire - MTFNF	Montana	45 miles SE of Bigfork, MT	62	0%
Black Canyon Fire - MTMTS	Montana	30 Miles NW of White Sulphur Springs, MT	233	100%
Grouse - MTBDF	Montana	Ten miles southwest of Wise River, MT	4,200	22%
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%
Crazy Creek - OROCF	Oregon	Crazy Creek:16 miles north of Paulina, OR	86,963	93%
Willamette Complex Fires - South - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette Complex South fires are 8 miles north and 8 to 22 miles S-SE of Oakridge.	13,013	NA
Dixon Fire - ORUPF	Oregon	Tiller, Oregon	1,970	87%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	25,255	74%
Sandstone Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	9 miles SW of Ripplebrook, OR, on the Mt. Hood National Forest	702	29%
Whisky Creek Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR	2,057	9%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	10,986	38%
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	5,880	35%
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Crater Lake National Park; Middle Fork area	5,222	0%
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%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness, 16 miles west, north-west of Crescent Oregon.	737	0%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	4,458	NA
Battle Mountain Complex - OR97S	Oregon	West and south of Ukiah, OR	183,026	94%
Warner Peak Fire - ORSHR	Oregon	3 miles East of Plush, on the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge	65,866	85%
Town Gulch - ORWWF	Oregon	Eagle Creek Rd Area, 24 Miles East of Baker City OR, 8 Miles N of Richland, OR	18,220	89%
Cliff Mountain - ORWWF	Oregon	25 Miles East of Joseph, Oregon	1,108	75%
Easy Fire - WAOWF	Washington	North Cascades Hwy 20 Corridor, 17 air miles west of Mazama, WA	2,130	36%
Pioneer - WASES	Washington	Approximate start 10 miles southeast of Stehekin, WA	38,730	23%
Ruby Fire - WANCP	Washington	On Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park by Diablo and Ross Lake, 9 miles East of Newhalem	921	0%
2620 Road Fire - WAOLC	Washington	The fire is located 5 miles West of Brinnon Washington.	398	8%
Upper Ruby - WACOF	Washington	Ione, WA	220	0%
Wicked Drive - WANEC	Washington	Tum Tum, Washington	698	65%
Six Mile - WACOA	Washington	Two miles east of Nine Mile Hellgate Road, near the head of Cottonwood Creek	113	0%
Stranger Creek II - WACOA	Washington	NA	66	0%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johannesburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park Campground	189	0%
Williams Mine Fire-GPNF - WAGPF	Washington	3.5 miles NNW of Trout Lake WA	11,696	13%
Lodgepole - WAOWF	Washington	16 miles west of Cliffdell, WA	35	6%
Retreat - WASES	Washington	14 miles WSE of Naches, WA	45,601	85%
Cougar Creek Fire - WASES	Washington	1 mile west of Hwy 129 and Grand Ronde river intersection	24,091	80%
Kachess Complex - WAOWF	Washington	12 miles west of Cle Elum drainage	23	NA

Source: Inciweb

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024