Smoke Forecast for Wednesday, September 11, 2024 8:30 AM

September 11 2024

Current Conditions

Montana DEQ has issued an Air Quality Alert until 9AM Thursday for Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Granite, Ravalli, and Silver Bow Counties until 8AM Wednesday because of elevated particulate levels from wildfire smoke.

A trough of low pressure moves across that state late Wednesday. It will gradually help to scour the surface smoke over the region and provide some beneficial rain.

There are still several large, active fires burning in Central Idaho. 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 nearly 122,000 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 6,000 acres and is 22% contained. The Johnson fire burning just east of Sula has burned nearly 6,500 acres and is 25% contained. The Sharrott Creek fire just west of Stevensville is the largest staffed wildfire in the state, with 346 personnel assigned to it. has burned around 3,100 acres and is 36% contained. The Ratio Mountain fire burning east of Butte has burned more than 1,200 acres. It is 85% contained.

At 8:00 AM Wednesday, Libby, Thompson Falls, Columbia Falls, Frenchtown, Missoula, Seeley Lake, Helena, Great Falls, Lewistown, Bozeman, Billings, and Sidney were enduring Moderate air quality. Hamilton, Dillon, and Butte were experiencing air that is Unhealthy. Miles City, Glendive, and Broadus were enduring Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air.

Wednesday morning’s satellite shows a trough of low pressure approaching providing increasing clouds for Montana.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

Air quality will remain degraded over several counties in Southwest Montana again on Wednesday. However, a powerful area of low pressure will begin to scour out the surface smoke late in the day. Much of the region will receive more than half an inch of precipitation from this storm through early Friday. It will help to moderate fire behavior and limit smoke production. By Thursday, the entire region will be breathing cleaner air as a result.

The higher terrain over Western Montana has a good chance of picking up several inches of snow. Snow could fall as low as 6,000 feet from this system, and travel could become tricky over the passes. A ridge moves over the Treasure State this weekend, providing drier and warmer weather.

By Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, another trough of low pressure swings into Montana. Expect another round of beneficial rain and mountain snow. The timely precipitation should help to keep regional wildfires in check and help reduce surface smoke concentrations over the area. Stay tuned!

By late Thursday the HRRR smoke model shows surface smoke concentrations dropping over the Northern Rockies thanks to a trough of low pressure.

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
Lava Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	12 miles SW of Cascade, ID	69,658	0%
Moore Square Complex - IDNCF	Idaho	Both Fires are located in the Gospel-Hump Wilderness Area near Square Mountain	3,673	49%
Frog - IDSTF	Idaho	Little Boulder Creek off the East Fork of the Salmon River	1,800	0%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho	33,139	15%
Goat Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	11 miles SE of Cascade, Idaho	21,449	0%
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 miles NE of Cascade, Idaho	4,338	8%
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles Southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	8,799	24%
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID	122,233	12%
Middle Fork Complex Fire: Bulldog and Nellie - IDBOF	Idaho	9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	60,807	30%
Chimney Fire - IDEIX	Idaho	9 miles northwest of Fairfield, ID	6,146	10%
Slab Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	25	NA
Logan Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	West of Edwardsburg, Krassel Ranger District, Payette National Forest	200	NA
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	33,075	95%
Moose Creek Complex - IDNCF	Idaho	East Moose creek Bridge to Elbow Bend impacted	10,388	NA
South Selway Complex - IDNCF	Idaho	Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness	NA	NA
Surprise Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Three and one-half miles NE of Hunter Peak, Fifteen miles NW of Darby, MT in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness	763	NA
Copper Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	315	NA
Farrow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	1,069	NA
Burnt Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	2,665	NA
Parks Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	5,610	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
Red Rock Fire - IDSCF	Idaho, United States	15 miles west of Salmon, ID	2,570	0%
Black Eagle Fire - IDSCF	Idaho, United States	21 miles west of Salmon	5,941	0%
Vanity - IDSCF	Idaho, United States	37 NW West of Challis, Idaho	559	20%
Johnson Fire - MTBRF	Montana	3 miles south of Springer Memorial Community in the East Fork of the Bitterroot	6,469	NA
Sharrott Creek Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Three miles west of Stevensville, Montana	3,193	NA
Marsh Creek - MTHLF	Montana	12 Miles Southeast of Lincoln, MT	130	0%
Long Tom Fire - MTMTS	Montana	10 miles south of Anaconda, MT	90	0%
Grouse - MTBDF	Montana	Ten miles southwest of Wise River, MT	6,000	22%
Railroad-Daly Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Railroad Creek/ Skalkaho Creek confluence, 26 miles SE of Hamilton	6,080	6%
McDermott - MTBDF	Montana	17 miles northwest of Philipsburg, MT	425	NA
Elkhorn Ridge - MTBRF	Montana	West Fork District	3,125	0%
McElwain Fire - MTMTS	Montana	10 miles west of Helmville, MT	116	75%
Magruder Ridge Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Selway Bitterroot Wilderness	1652	0%
Remington Fire - MTGNF	Montana	14 miles NE of Leiter, WY, multiple counties in southeast Montana.	196,368	88%
Ratio Mountain - MTBDF	Montana	15 miles northwest of Whitehall, MT.	1,226	NA
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Crater Lake National Park; Middle Fork area	5,286	70%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	11,141	86%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	4,631	NA
Flat Top and Firestone Fires - ORDEF	Oregon	North of Fort Rock, OR	NA	NA
Bachelor Complex Fires - ORDEF	Oregon	Mt Bachelor, 20 miles SW Bend, OR	5,987	NA
Rail Ridge - OROCF	Oregon	Approx. 7 miles south of Dayville, OR	157,759	12%
Devils Knob and Milepost 98 Fires - ORUPF	Oregon	5 miles southeast of Tiller, OR	4,058	0%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness, 16 miles west, north-west of Crescent Oregon.	1,696	0%
Willamette Complex Fires - South - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette Complex South fires are 8 miles north and 8 to 22 miles S-SE of Oakridge.	22,943	NA
Shoe Fly Fire - OR95S	Oregon	6 Miles NE of Mitchell, Oregon	26,502	41%
Milepost 98 - ORUPF	Oregon	The MIiepost 98 fire is located approximately 1 mile south of Canyonville.	240	0%
Wiley Flat - OROCF	Oregon	10 miles southeast of post, Oregon	28,396	41%
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	2,977	25%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	25,927	99%
Buck Creek Fire - ORFWF	Oregon	12 miles southwest of Silver Lake in a semi-primitive area of the Forest with limited road access.	3,501	0%
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	18,973	33%
Fossil Complex - OR95S	Oregon	1.5 miles NW of Spray;10 miles east of Fossil; 5 miles NE of Monument, Oregon	15,552	3%
Copperfield Fire - OR98S	Oregon	10 miles east of Chiloquin, Oregon	3,822	86%
Two Cabin - OR95S	Oregon	4 Miles NE of Monument Oregon	251	5%
Swauk Creek - WASES	Washington	Kittitas County, WA	214	3%
Ruby Fire - WANCP	Washington	On Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park by Diablo and Ross Lake, 9 miles East of Newhalem	1,300	0%
Williams Mine Fire-GPNF - WAGPF	Washington	3.5 miles NNW of Trout Lake WA	13,089	31%
Huckleberry Ridge Fire - WAPCS	Washington	20 miles south of Pe Ell, Washington	293	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: HRRR Smoke

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024