Smoke Forecast for Friday, September 6, 2024 9:30 AM

September 06 2024

Current Conditions

A strong area of high pressure will continue to be the story across the Northern Rockies. Expect active fire behavior and increasing overnight surface smoke, particularly in communities adjacent to wildfires.

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 almost 9,500 acres and is 0% contained.

The Wapiti fire is currently the largest wildfire in Idaho. It’s burning in the mountains of the Boise National Forest of Central Idaho. It has burned more than 112,000 acres and is only 12% contained.

Several fires burning in Western Montana continue to grow. The Grouse fire burning just east of Wisdom has burned around 5,000 acres and is 22% contained. The Johnson fire burning just east of Sula has burned nearly 4,500 acres and is 0% contained. The Sharrott Creek fire just west of Stevensville is the largest staffed wildfire in the state, with 642 personnel assigned to it. has burned more than 2,800 acres and is 25% contained. The Ratio Mountain fire burning east of Butte has burned more than 1,200 acres. It is 54% contained. Lastly, the McDermott fire burning in the Sapphire Mountains east of the Bitterroot Valley was active on Thursday. It has burned 145 acres and is 0% contained.

At 9:00 AM Thursday, Libby, Hamilton, Frenchtown, Missoula, Thompson Falls, West Yellowstone, Great Falls, and Broadus were enduring Moderate air quality.

Friday morning’s satellite shows light smoke over Western Montana, with heavier smoke over Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

High pressure will continue to be the main theme across the Northern Rockies to start the weekend. It will produce unseasonably warm air, with afternoon temperatures between 10-15 degrees above average. Warm air and dry fuels will lead to active fire behavior on regional wildfires. As winds ease around sunset, expect smoke to drain and pool into valleys adjacent to wildfires.

By Sunday, a southwesterly flow will bring more moisture to the area, leading to scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms. There are several large wildfires burning over Central Idaho, and the southwesterly push of air will bring smoke from these fires into Western Montana. Temperatures will remain well above average.

As the ridge breaks down Monday, winds should pick up, with gusts over 30 MPH likely. This will lead to more active fire behavior on regional wildfires. The ridge gradually breaks down starting Tuesday as a Pacific trough marches slowly east. This will start a weather pattern shift, ushering in a progressively cooler and wetter airmass across the Treasure State.

By late Saturday, the HRRR smoke model shows smoke shifting further east into Southwest Montana from regional wildfires.

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	3,952	0%
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	32,998	95%
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 miles NE of Cascade, Idaho	4,170	8%
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles Southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	3,957	24%
Middle Fork Complex Fire: Bulldog, Nellie, Anderson - IDBOF	Idaho	9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	57,836	28%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho	32,478	13%
Anchor Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	About half way between Hanover Mountain and Square Mountain in the Gospel Hump Wilderness	400	NA
Ace Butte Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately 30 miles Southeast of Grangeville, Idaho	152	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
Wolf Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	11 Miles NW of Cascade, ID	1,154	95%
Parks Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	3,850	NA
Farrow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	900	NA
Burnt Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	2,497	NA
Mineral Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	The fire is located approximately 12 miles north of Steck Park along the Snake River.	15,000	0%
Red Rock Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	15 miles west of Salmon, ID	189	0%
Black Eagle Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	21 miles west of Salmon	1,949	NA
Sharrott Creek Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Three miles west of Stevensville, Montana	2,878	25%
Remington Fire - MTGNF	Montana	14 miles NE of Leiter, WY, multiple counties in southeast Montana.	196,368	88%
Railroad-Daly Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Railroad Creek/ Skalkaho Creek confluence, 26 miles SE of Hamilton	1,670	0%
Johnson Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Johnson fire is located in and out of the A-P wilderness & community of Springer	4,325	0%
Marsh Creek - MTHLF	Montana	12 Miles Southeast of Lincoln, MT	90	0%
McDermott - MTBDF	Montana	17 miles northwest of Philipsburg, MT	130	NA
Magruder Ridge Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Selway Bitterroot Wilderness	1,652	0%
Grouse - MTBDF	Montana	Ten miles southwest of Wise River, MT	5,000	22%
Ratio Mountain - MTBDF	Montana	15 miles northwest of Whitehall, MT.	1,226	NA
McElwain Fire - MTMTS	Montana	10 miles west of Helmville, MT	116	60%
Elkhorn Ridge - MTBRF	Montana	West Fork District	2,482	0%
Big Hollow Fire - MTMTS	Montana	36 miles southwest of Dillon, MT	3,435	90%
Whisky Creek Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR	2,117	25%
Willamette Complex Fires - South - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette Complex South fires are 8 miles north and 8 to 22 miles S-SE of Oakridge.	17,904	NA
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	5,926	60%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	11,141	81%
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Crater Lake National Park; Middle Fork area	5,286	61%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness, 16 miles west, north-west of Crescent Oregon.	877	0%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	4,631	NA
Wiley Flat - OROCF	Oregon	10 miles southeast of post, Oregon	15,962	0%
Shoe Fly Fire - OR95S	Oregon	6 Miles NE of Mitchell, Oregon	21,623	6%
Two Cabin - OR95S	Oregon	4 Miles NE of Monument Oregon	251	5%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	25,305	97%
Rail Ridge - OROCF	Oregon	Approx. 7 miles south of Dayville, OR	82,947	0%
Copperfield Fire - OR98S	Oregon	10 miles east of Chiloquin, Oregon	3,802	26%
Sandstone Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	9 miles SW of Ripplebrook, OR, on the Mt. Hood National Forest	702	75%
Crazy Creek - OROCF	Oregon	Crazy Creek:16 miles north of Paulina, OR	86,968	95%
Microwave Tower Fire - OR95S	Oregon	1 mile WSW of Mosier, OR	1,313	95%
Williams Mine Fire-GPNF - WAGPF	Washington	3.5 miles NNW of Trout Lake WA	13,028	31%
Ruby Fire - WANCP	Washington	On Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park by Diablo and Ross Lake, 9 miles East of Newhalem	970	0%
Pioneer - WASES	Washington	Approximate start 10 miles southeast of Stehekin, WA	38,735	23%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johannesburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park Campground	211	0%

Source: Inciweb

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024