Smoke Forecast for Sunday, September 1, 2024 1:30 PM

September 01 2024

Current Conditions

An Air Quality Alert is in effect for Beaverhead, Ravalli, Silver Bow, Deer Lodge, Granite, Missoula, Mineral, Lake, and Sanders Counties until 4PM Monday because of elevated particulate levels from wildfires smoke.

Active wildfires continue to burn across Western Montana and central and southern Idaho. These fires are responsible for the smoke that is filling in across several Montana counties.

There are numerous active fires burning in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho and Montana. These fires will continue to spread smoke into portions of Western Montana in the coming days. The largest of the group is the Wye fire burning 30 miles west of Hamilton. This fire has burned more than 7,300 acres and is 0% contained.

On Sunday, there were four fires burning in Western Montana that exhibited active fire behavior. The Grouse fire burning just east of Wisdom has burned more than 4,200 acres and is 22% contained. The Johnson fire burning just east of Sula has burned more than 1,400 acres and is 0% contained. The Sharrott Creek fire just west of Stevensville has burned over 1,400 acres and is 0% contained. Lastly, the Ratio Mountain fire burning east of Butte has burned more than 1,000 acres and is 9% contained.

The Remington fire started in Wyoming last week. It is burning in mainly grassland and scrubland. The fire quickly expanded north into Montana over the weekend and has now burned nearly 200,000 acres. The Remington is now 81% contained.

At 1:00 PM Sunday, Missoula, Butte, Dillon, Great Falls, Bozeman, and West Yellowstone were enduring Moderate air quality. Hamilton was experiencing air that is considered Unhealthy.

Sunday afternoon’s satellite shows areas of heavy smoke over Western Montana from wildfires burning across the region.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

Near record warmth, dry fuels, and gusty winds will create dangerous fire weather conditions around the Northern Rockies through Monday night. Smoke from wildfires in Idaho and Western Montana will produce unhealthy amounts of smoke in several counties. Surface concentrations of smoke will gradually deteriorate across a winder swath of Montana through late Monday, as a southwesterly flow lingers.

A trough swings across the region starting on Monday. It will provide scattered showers and thunderstorms, particularly over the higher terrain. Gusty outflow winds will have the potential to create erratic fire conditions on existing wildfires adjacent to the storms.

Cooler air will wrap around the departing storm on Tuesday. The flow over the Tresure State will gradually shift to the north and northwest. This will help to eventually reduce the amount of surface smoke across the region. Stay tuned!

By late Monday, the HRRR smoke model shows heavy smoke moving into several Western Montana counties.

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	97,753	0%
Parks Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	3,850	NA
Wolf Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	11 Miles NW of Cascade, ID	1,154	95%
Burnt Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	2,497	NA
Farrow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	852	NA
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 miles NE of Cascade, Idaho	3,419	0%
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles Southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	2,393	57%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho	30,046	3%
Goat Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	11 miles SE of Cascade, Idaho	2,708	0%
Middle Fork Complex Fire: Bulldog, Nellie, Anderson - IDBOF	Idaho	9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	54,902	13%
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	32,973	93%
Surprise Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Three and one-half miles NE of Hunter Peak, Fifteen miles NW of Darby, MT in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness	40	NA
Wye Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	East Moose creek Bridge to Elbow Bend impacted	7,739	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.	1,345	NA
Anchor Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	About half way between Hanover Mountain and Square Mountain in the Gospel Hump Wilderness	400	NA
2024 Flat - IDIDS	Idaho	One mile east of Pioneerville, Idaho	3,734	61%
Bulltrout Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	15 miles WNW OF Stanley, ID	271	92%
Monumental Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	11	NA
Ace Butte Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately 30 miles Southeast of Grangeville, Idaho	152	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
Bench Lake Fire - IDSTF	Idaho	8 miles south of Stanley, Idaho	2,595	90%
Shepp Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately 30 miles Southwest of Elk City, Idaho	100	NA
Oxbow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	Near Oxbow dam in Hells Canyon	6,000	NA
Sharrott Creek Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Three miles west of Stevensville, Montana	1,775	NA
Railroad-Daly Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Railroad Creek/ Skalkaho Creek confluence, 26 miles SE of Hamilton	160	0%
McElwain Fire - MTMTS	Montana	10 miles west of Helmville, MT	116	50%
Ratio Mountain - MTBDF	Montana	15 miles northwest of Whitehall, MT.	1,058	NA
Johnson Fire - MTBRF	Montana	3 miles west of the Springer Memorial Community in the East Fork on the Bitterroot NF	1,428	0%
Remington Fire - MTGNF	Montana	14 miles NE of Leiter, WY, multiple counties in southeast Montana.	196,368	81%
Marsh Creek - MTHLF	Montana	12 Miles Southeast of Lincoln, MT	20	0%
Grouse - MTBDF	Montana	Ten miles southwest of Wise River, MT	4,266	22%
Big Hollow Fire - MTMTS	Montana	36 miles southwest of Dillon, MT	3,435	90%
Elkhorn Ridge - MTBRF	Montana	West Fork District	2,482	0%
Pentagon Fire - MTFNF	Montana	45 miles SE of Bigfork, MT	62	0%
Muir Creek Fire - MTGNP	Montana	20 miles southeast of West Glacier, MT and east of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River	30	0%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	11,141	78%
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	5,910	60%
Sandstone Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	9 miles SW of Ripplebrook, OR, on the Mt. Hood National Forest	702	75%
Whisky Creek Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR	2,086	25%
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Crater Lake National Park; Middle Fork area	5,282	46%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	25,305	93%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness, 16 miles west, north-west of Crescent Oregon.	784	0%
Willamette Complex Fires - South - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette Complex South fires are 8 miles north and 8 to 22 miles S-SE of Oakridge.	13,179	64%
Crazy Creek - OROCF	Oregon	Crazy Creek:16 miles north of Paulina, OR	86,968	93%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	4,583	NA
Microwave Tower Fire - OR95S	Oregon	1 mile WSW of Mosier, OR	1,313	95%
Lone Rock Fire - ORPRD	Oregon	Lonerock stretching to west of HWY 207 and south to HWY 19	137,222	98%
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%
Porcupine Fire - ORBUD	Oregon	Porcupine Reservoir	6,491	95%
Badland Complex 2024 - ORVAD	Oregon	Baker County, Oregon	54,563	99%
Durkee Fire - ORVAD	Oregon	1 mile west of Durkee, Oregon	294,265	95%
Cow Valley Fire - ORVAD	Oregon	West of Brogan and Northwest of Vale	133,,490	99%
Ruby Fire - WANCP	Washington	On Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park by Diablo and Ross Lake, 9 miles East of Newhalem	959	0%
Williams Mine Fire-GPNF - WAGPF	Washington	3.5 miles NNW of Trout Lake WA	11904	31%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johannesburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park Campground	211	0%
Upper Ruby - WACOF	Washington	Ruby Creek Drainage - approximately 16 miles northwest of Cusick, WA	280	94%
Pioneer - WASES	Washington	Approximate start 10 miles southeast of Stehekin, WA	38,735	23%
Easy Fire - WAOWF	Washington	North Cascades Hwy 20 Corridor, 17 air miles west of Mazama, WA	2,130	36%
Retreat - WASES	Washington	14 miles WSE of Naches, WA	45,601	85%
Stranger Creek II - WACOA	Washington	NA	66	90%
Six Mile - WACOA	Washington	Two miles east of Nine Mile Hellgate Road, near the head of Cottonwood Creek	113	90%
Lodgepole - WAOWF	Washington	16 miles west of Cliffdell, WA	35	6%
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