Smoke Forecast for Saturday, September 7, 2024 9:00 AM

September 07 2024

Current Conditions

The Montana DEQ is issuing an Air Quality Alert through Sunday at 8AM for Deer Lodge, Beaverhead, Granite, Silver Bow and Ravalli Counties because of elevated particulate levels from wildfires.

High pressure will remain in control across Montana through Sunday. This will lead to unseasonably warm temperatures, active fire behavior, and deteriorating air quality at times, especially over Southwest Montana.

There are numerous active fires burning in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho and Montana. These fires will continue to spread smoke into portions of Southwest Montana. The largest of the group is the Wye fire burning 30 miles west of Hamilton. This fire has burned almost 10,000 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 113,000 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 5,700 acres and is 22% contained. The Johnson fire burning just east of Sula has burned nearly 4,600 acres and is 0% contained. The Sharrott Creek fire just west of Stevensville is the largest staffed wildfire in the state, with 631 personnel assigned to it. has burned more than 2,900 acres and is 32% contained. The Ratio Mountain fire burning east of Butte has burned more than 1,200 acres. It is 54% contained. The Daly fire burning in the Sapphire Mountains east of the Bitterroot Valley was active on Friday. It has burned around 2,000 acres and is 4% contained. Lastly, the Mile Marker 104 fire burning northwest of Missoula has burned 400 acres and is 10% contained.

At 8:00 AM Saturday, Libby, Thompson Falls, Columbia Falls, Frenchtown, Missoula, Helena, Sleeping Giant, Butte, Dillon, Bozeman, Lewistown, and Broadus were enduring Moderate air quality. Hamilton was experiencing air that is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.

Saturday morning’s satellite shows widespread smoke over much of Montana from regional wildfires.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

High pressure will remain over the Northern Rockies through Sunday. It will produce unseasonably warm air and light winds. Valleys adjacent to active wildfires will continue to experience deteriorating air quality at times. With limited afternoon mixing, surface smoke will tend to linger in the valleys, leading to air quality concerns.

By Sunday afternoon, scattered thunderstorms will begin to pop in the mountains. Moisture on Sunday will be limited, so most storms will be dry, and outflow winds from these storms could lead to erratic fire behavior on existing wildfires. A southwesterly flow will begin to transport smoke from massive wildfires burning in Central Idaho into parts of Western Montana.

By Wednesday, a trough will begin to swing into Montana. It will provide beneficial rain for the entire region. It should help to moderate fire behavior and limit smoke production across the area. Along with the rain, temperatures will cool significantly. Thankfully, air quality will gradually improve during this timeframe.

By late Sunday, the HRRR smoke model shows heavy surface smoke covering much of the state 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
Middle Fork Complex Fire: Bulldog and Nellie - IDBOF	Idaho	9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	58,082	29%
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles Southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	4,055	24%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho	32,630	13%
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 miles NE of Cascade, Idaho	4,199	8%
Goat Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	11 miles SE of Cascade, Idaho	4,910	0%
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID	112,321	12%
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	32,998	95%
Moore Square Complex - IDNCF	Idaho	Both Fires are located in the Gospel-Hump Wilderness Area near Square Mountain	2,037	NA
Copper Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	315	NA
Burnt Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	2,666	NA
Farrow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	900	NA
Parks Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	3,850	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.	3,800	NA
Moose Creek Complex - IDNCF	Idaho	East Moose creek Bridge to Elbow Bend impacted	10,388	NA
Chimney Fire - IDEIX	Idaho	9 miles northwest of Fairfield, ID	3,247	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
Johnson Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Johnson fire is located in and out of the A-P wilderness & community of Springer	4,499	0%
Sharrott Creek Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Three miles west of Stevensville, Montana	3,000	32%
Railroad-Daly Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Railroad Creek/ Skalkaho Creek confluence, 26 miles SE of Hamilton	1,670	2%
Elkhorn Ridge - MTBRF	Montana	West Fork District	3,125	0%
Magruder Ridge Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Selway Bitterroot Wilderness	1,652	0%
McDermott - MTBDF	Montana	17 miles northwest of Philipsburg, MT	145	NA
Grouse - MTBDF	Montana	Ten miles southwest of Wise River, MT	5,743	22%
Remington Fire - MTGNF	Montana	14 miles NE of Leiter, WY, multiple counties in southeast Montana.	196,368	88%
Marsh Creek - MTHLF	Montana	12 Miles Southeast of Lincoln, MT	90	0%
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%
Big Hollow Fire - MTMTS	Montana	36 miles southwest of Dillon, MT	3,435	90%
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	6,156	60%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	4,631	NA
Rail Ridge - OROCF	Oregon	Approx. 7 miles south of Dayville, OR	121,923	4%
Fossil Complex - OR95S	Oregon	1.5 miles NW of Spray;10 miles east of Fossil; 5 miles NE of Monument, Oregon	752	0%
Two Cabin - OR95S	Oregon	4 Miles NE of Monument Oregon	251	5%
Copperfield Fire - OR98S	Oregon	10 miles east of Chiloquin, Oregon	3,822	57%
Shoe Fly Fire - OR95S	Oregon	6 Miles NE of Mitchell, Oregon	21,623	6%
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	2,468	25%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	11,141	81%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	25,305	97%
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%
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%
Ruby Fire - WANCP	Washington	On Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park by Diablo and Ross Lake, 9 miles East of Newhalem	1,216	0%
Williams Mine Fire-GPNF - WAGPF	Washington	3.5 miles NNW of Trout Lake WA	13,028	31%
Huckleberry Ridge Fire - WAPCS	Washington	20 miles south of Pe Ell, Washington	100	0%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johannesburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park Campground	211	0%
Pioneer - WASES	Washington	Approximate start 10 miles southeast of Stehekin, WA	38,735	23%

Source: Inciweb

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024