Smoke Forecast for Thursday, September 12, 2024 9:30 AM

September 12 2024

Current Conditions

A trough of low pressure continues to slide across the Treasure State. It will provide beneficial rain and mountain snow. The precipitation will moderate fire behavior and reduce smoke on regional wildfires.

Much of Idaho and Montana has already received a good soaking and more is on the way. 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 125,000 acres and is only 12% contained.

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 over 6,600 acres and is 25% contained. The Sharrott Creek fire just west of Stevensville is the largest staffed wildfire in the state, with 326 personnel assigned to it. has burned around 3,200 acres and is 35% contained. The Ratio Mountain fire burning east of Butte has burned more than 1,200 acres. It is 85% contained.

At 9:00 AM Thursday, Libby, Columbia Falls, Cut Bank, Great Falls, Lewistown, Malta, West Yellowstone, Miles City, Glendive, and Sidney were experiencing Moderate air quality.

Thursday morning’s satellite shows an area of low pressure marching across the Northern Rockies.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

What a difference a day makes! Beneficial rain arrived over the Northern Rockies late Wednesday. Much of the region has already received several tenths of precipitation and more is on the way. The mountains above 6,000 feet will continue to see periods of heavy snow, creating treacherous travel across the passes. Precipitation has helped to moderate fire behavior across the region and limit smoke production. The storm departs early Friday.

High pressure builds back over the Treasure State this weekend. It will allow temperatures to bounce back to near seasonal levels. Fire activity could briefly pick up as afternoon highs warm back into the 70s. Parts of Southwest Montana adjacent to the wildfires burning in Central Idaho could see some increases in surface smoke.

A trough is expected to be the big weather story for much of the following week. It will produce another round of widespread precipitation for much of the Treasure State along with seasonably cool temperatures. This pattern should do wonders for our air quality and will help to limit smoke production on regional wildfires.

By late Friday, the HRRR smoke model shows surface smoke concentrations picking up over Southwest Montana behind a departing trough.

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
Frog - IDSTF	Idaho	Little Boulder Creek off the East Fork of the Salmon River	2,500	0%
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID	125,429	12%
Goat Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	11 miles SE of Cascade, Idaho	25,648	0%
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 miles NE of Cascade, Idaho	4,338	8%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho	33,244	15%
Chimney Fire - IDEIX	Idaho	9 miles northwest of Fairfield, ID	6,475	10%
Moore Square Complex - IDNCF	Idaho	Both Fires are located in the Gospel-Hump Wilderness Area near Square Mountain	3,673	49%
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	8 miles NE of Oxbow Dam	33,084	95%
Lava Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	12 miles SW of Cascade, ID	93,781	6%
Middle Fork Complex Fire: Bulldog and Nellie - IDBOF	Idaho	9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	61,159	30%
Slab Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	25	NA
Logan Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	West of Edwardsburg, Krassel Ranger District, Payette National Forest	200	NA
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
Vanity - IDSCF	Idaho	37 NW West of Challis, Idaho	559	20%
Black Eagle Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	21 miles west of Salmon	5,941	0%
Red Rock Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	15 miles west of Salmon, ID	2,570	0%
Sharrott Creek Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Three miles west of Stevensville, Montana	3,204	NA
Ratio Mountain - MTBDF	Montana	15 miles northwest of Whitehall, MT.	1,966	NA
Marsh Creek - MTHLF	Montana	12 Miles Southeast of Lincoln, MT	151	0%
Magruder Ridge Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Selway Bitterroot Wilderness	3,586	0%
McDermott - MTBDF	Montana	17 miles northwest of Philipsburg, MT	425	NA
Elkhorn Ridge - MTBRF	Montana	West Fork District	3,125	0%
Grouse - MTBDF	Montana	Ten miles southwest of Wise River, MT	6,009	22%
Johnson Fire - MTBRF	Montana	3 miles south of Springer Memorial Community in the East Fork of the Bitterroot	6,662	NA
Railroad-Daly Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Railroad Creek/ Skalkaho Creek confluence, 26 miles SE of Hamilton	6,721	NA
Long Tom Fire - MTMTS	Montana	10 miles south of Anaconda, MT	88	0%
McElwain Fire - MTMTS	Montana	10 miles west of Helmville, MT	116	75%
Remington Fire - MTGNF	Montana	14 miles NE of Leiter, WY, multiple counties in southeast Montana.	196,368	88%
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
Devils Knob and Milepost 98 Fires - ORUPF	Oregon	5 miles southeast of Tiller, OR	4,130	13%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	4,631	NA
Fossil Complex - OR95S	Oregon	1.5 miles NW of Spray;10 miles east of Fossil; 5 miles NE of Monument, Oregon	22,441	3%
Wiley Flat - OROCF	Oregon	10 miles southeast of post, Oregon	29,904	48%
Buck Creek Fire - ORFWF	Oregon	12 miles southwest of Silver Lake in a semi-primitive area of the Forest with limited road access.	5,062	0%
Milepost 98 - ORUPF	Oregon	The MIiepost 98 fire is located approximately 1 mile south of Canyonville.	250	21%
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Crater Lake National Park; Middle Fork area	5,286	70%
Shoe Fly Fire - OR95S	Oregon	6 Miles NE of Mitchell, Oregon	26,774	53%
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	3,047	25%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	25,927	99%
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	9,483	33%
Microwave Tower Fire - OR95S	Oregon	1 mile WSW of Mosier, OR	1,313	95%
Rail Ridge - OROCF	Oregon	Approx. 7 miles south of Dayville, OR	161,675	12%
Copperfield Fire - OR98S	Oregon	10 miles east of Chiloquin, Oregon	3,822	94%
Two Cabin - OR95S	Oregon	4 Miles NE of Monument Oregon	251	5%
Swauk Creek - WASES	Washington	Kittitas County, WA	320	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	8%
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