Smoke Forecast for Friday, August 23, 2024 9:30 AM

August 23 2024

Current Conditions

The Nellie and Wapiti fires burning in the Central Idaho mountains grew again on Thursday. The Nellie has burned over 28,000 acres and is only 5% contained. The Wapiti fire is now over 17,000 acres with 10% of the blaze contained. Unseasonably warm air and breezy conditions will allow these fires to expand again on Friday.

The Ratio Mountain fire about 10 miles east of Butte, has burned 42 acres. It exhibited moderate fire behavior on Thursday. It will send smoke into the Boulder area and potentially as far north as Helena at times through Saturday.

The Fish Creek fire burning east of Jackson, Wyoming exhibited active fire behavior again on Thursday. As of Friday morning, it had grown to almost 10,000 acres with 0% containment. Smoke from the fire could be seen drifting over parts of Southeast Montana, near Billings Thursday afternoon. However, most of the smoke was elevated so there weren’t any significant impacts to air quality.

At 9:00 AM Friday, Libby, Thompson Falls, Great Falls, Miles City, and Broadus were enduring Moderate air quality.

Friday morning’s satellite shows some light smoke across Montana, much of which is aloft, from fires burning in Central Idaho. A trough begins to march inland providing clouds in the Pacific Northwest.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

A southerly to southwesterly flow will persist across the Treasure State through Saturday. Winds will be rather gusty, and this could produce erratic fire behavior on existing blazes. The flow will continue to pump smoke from fires burning in Idaho and Wyoming into Montana. Afternoon mixing heights remain elevated across the region, so much of the smoke from regional fires should stay aloft. Expect some draining and pooling of the smoke after sunset, as inversions develop. This could lead to localized air quality issues, particularly in communities adjacent to wildfires.

By late Saturday and Sunday, an area of low pressure marches across the state. The low will drag a cold front through the region, providing much cooler temperatures. Beneficial rain is likely across Central Idaho where numerous active fires are burning. Montana will also see precipitation from this system, particularly west of the Continental Divide. The moisture will help to moderate fire behavior across the region and limit smoke production.

The flow turns more zonal by early next week. This will produce more seasonable temperatures by Monday and Tuesday. A westerly flow will likely bring smoke from regional wildfires into Montana during this timeframe. Stay tuned!

By midday Saturday, the HRRR smoke model shows smoke moving into Montana from wildfires burning in Idaho and Wyoming.

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	1,963	0%
Wolf Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	5 miles west of Donnelly, ID	1,154	95%
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	2,313	44%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho	25,235	3%
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 miles NE of Cascade, Idaho	2,665	0%
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID	35,631	10%
2024 Flat - IDIDS	Idaho	One mile east of Pioneerville, Idaho	3,719	43%
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	32,600	84%
Middle Fork Complex Fire: Bulldog, Nellie, Anderson - IDBOF	Idaho	9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	36,773	5%
Bulltrout Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	15 miles WNW OF Stanley, ID	271	92%
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.	702	NA
Robbin Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Within Game Unit 12: located less than six and a half miles southwest of Powell Ranger Station and less than three and a half miles south of Wendover Campground	NA	NA
Grave Butte Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Within Game Unit 12: located ten miles west of Jerry Johnson Campground and about half a mile from National Forest Service Road #107 (Saddle Camp Road)	10	NA
Boulder Creek Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Within Game Unit 12: located ten miles north of the Powell Ranger Station and 12 miles west of Lolo Hot Springs	25	NA
Burnt Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	300	NA
Farrow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	727	NA
Parks Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	400	NA
Bench Lake Fire - IDSTF	Idaho	8 miles south of Stanley, Idaho	2,595	90%
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	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
Ratio Mountain - MTBDF	Montana	15 miles northwest of Whitehall, MT.	42	NA
Elkhorn Ridge - MTBRF	Montana	West Fork District	2,482	0%
Pentagon Fire - MTFNF	Montana	45 miles SE of Bigfork, MT	62	0%
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%
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	5,898	38%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	11,106	56%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	25,265	85%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	4,452	NA
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Crater Lake National Park; Middle Fork area	5,244	0%
Whisky Creek Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR	2,058	24%
Sandstone Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	9 miles SW of Ripplebrook, OR, on the Mt. Hood National Forest	702	29%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness, 16 miles west, north-west of Crescent Oregon.	738	0%
Willamette Complex Fires - South - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette Complex South fires are 8 miles north and 8 to 22 miles S-SE of Oakridge.	13,038	NA
Crazy Creek - OROCF	Oregon	Crazy Creek:16 miles north of Paulina, OR	86,963	93%
Dixon Fire - ORUPF	Oregon	Tiller, Oregon	1,970	87%
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%
Six Mile - WACOA	Washington	Two miles east of Nine Mile Hellgate Road, near the head of Cottonwood Creek	113	60%
Ruby Fire - WANCP	Washington	On Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park by Diablo and Ross Lake, 9 miles East of Newhalem	955	0%
Stranger Creek II - WACOA	Washington	NA	66	60%
Upper Ruby - WACOF	Washington	Ione, WA	220	0%
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%
2620 Road Fire - WAOLC	Washington	The fire is located 5 miles West of Brinnon Washington.	403	15%
Williams Mine Fire-GPNF - WAGPF	Washington	3.5 miles NNW of Trout Lake WA	11,764	21%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johannesburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park Campground	189	0%
Wicked Drive - WANEC	Washington	Tum Tum, Washington	698	65%
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
House Draw Fire - WYHPD	Wyoming	Between Clearmont and Kaycee, WY	163,466	0%
Clearwater - WYSHF	Wyoming	11 Miles West of Wapiti, Wyoming	1,966	75%
Fish Creek Fire - WYBTF	Wyoming	Approximately 7 miles southwest of Togwotee Pass	9,461	0%
Leeds Creek - WYBTF	Wyoming	16 Miles Southwest of Dubois, WY	780	75%

Source: Inciweb

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024