Smoke Forecast for Wednesday, October 16, 2024 7:30 AM

October 16 2024

Current Conditions

A cool front marches across the Treasure State on Wednesday, scouring out much of the smoke trapped in the valleys of Southwest Montana. It will also produce some beneficial rain and mountain snow for much of the state.

There are numerous active wildfires still burning in the Central Idaho mountains and Western Montana. In Central Idaho southwest of Salmon, the Black Eagle and Red Rock fires have merged and remain very active. These wildfires have combined to burn over 84,000 acres. The Daly fire burning east of Hamilton in the Sapphire Mountains has grown over 10,000 acres. This fire is 56% contained and it is the largest staffed wildfire in Montana, with 212 people working on it.

See the latest Air Resource Advisor report from Central Idaho and Southwest Montana here

At 7:00 AM Wednesday, Libby, Thompson Falls, Columbia Falls, Missoula, Frenchtown, Seeley Lake, Helena, Sleeping Giant, Butte, Bozeman, Billings, Lewistown, and Broadus were enduring Moderate air quality. Hamilton was experiencing air that is Unhealthy.

Forecast

Wednesday is the transition day to more typical mid-October weather as a cool front moves across the state. The front will be accompanied by some much-needed precipitation. For much of the area, it’s been nearly 3 weeks without measurable precipitation. The lack of precipitation and unseasonably warm air has allowed numerous regional wildfires to experience tremendous growth. The front and corresponding area of low pressure will bring snow levels down to 4,000 feet and the passes could receive a few slushy inches of snow. Expect smoke production on area wildfires to decrease significantly behind the system.

Precipitation will linger on Thursday, with the greatest rain and snow totals focused on the higher terrain of Northwest Montana and along the spine of the Bitterroot Mountains. Temperatures will plummet on Thursday as highs will hover in the 40s and low 50s.

The system departs early Friday as the precipitation gradually comes to an end. The precipitation should help moderate fire activity across Idaho and Montana, greatly reducing surface smoke concentrations. A transient ridge of high pressure develops over the weekend. It will provide slightly warmer temperatures and abundant sunshine.

By midday Thursday, the HRRR smoke model shows significantly less surface smoke behind a departing system.

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	97,585	90%
2024 Valley Fire - IDIDS	Idaho	Boise Foothills near Warm Springs Avenue and Hwy 21	9,904	90%
Logan Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	The fire is centered around Edwardsburg, but has burned north, east, west and south of the community. It has moved into the Wilderness area. Krassel Ranger District, Payette National Forest	15,121	10%
Goat Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	8 miles SE of Cascade, Idaho	35,648	51%
Snag Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9.5 miles east of Cascade, Idaho	33,437	90%
Middle Fork Complex Fire: Bulldog and Nellie - IDBOF	Idaho	7 miles east of Garden Valley, ID	61,495	90%
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	10 miles west of Stanley, ID	128,357	85%
Parks Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	5,978	NA
Farrow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	3,084	NA
Elkhorn Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	Krassel Ranger District, Payette National Forest	26,048	NA
South Selway Complex - IDNCF	Idaho	Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness	1,927	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	40	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)	23	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	792	NA
Cracker Jack Complex - IDNCF	Idaho	Whistling Pig Canyon East of Jumbo Camp	5,240	NA
Dollar Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	18 miles NE of Cascade, Idaho	4,360	8%
Chimney Fire - IDEIX	Idaho	9 miles northwest of Fairfield, ID	6,521	80%
Copper Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	2,129	NA
Burnt Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	2,665	NA
Slab Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	NA	50	50%
Moore Square Complex - IDNCF	Idaho	Both Fires are located in the Gospel-Hump Wilderness Area near Square Mountain	3,673	50%
Moose Creek Complex - IDNCF	Idaho	East Moose creek Bridge to Elbow Bend impacted	14,762	NA
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles Southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	NA	NA
Bulltrout Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	15 miles WNW OF Stanley, ID	271	92%
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
Bench Lake Fire - IDSTF	Idaho	8 miles south of Stanley, Idaho	2,595	90%
Oxbow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	Near Oxbow dam in Hells Canyon	6,000	NA
Red Rock Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	15 miles west of Salmon, ID	76,288	19%
Garden Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	Approximately two (2) miles southwest of the confluence of Panther Creek and the Main Salmon River on the North Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness	10,536	1%
Birch Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	The west side of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River on Norton Ridge on the Middle Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness	22,545	0%
Nugget Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	Approximately 40 miles west of Salmon on the North Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, west of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River	994	0%
Vanity Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	37 NW West of Challis, Idaho	600	30%
Meridian - MTBDF	Montana	40 miles south of Ennis, MT	2,797	NA
Nevada Lake Fire - MTMTS	Montana	8 miles east of Helmville, MT, 0.5 miles north of Nevada Lake	207	0%
Railroad-Daly Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Railroad Creek/ Skalkaho Creek confluence, 26 miles SE of Hamilton	12,383	NA
Sheep Creek - MTBDF	Montana	5 miles southwest of Bernice, MT	574	NA
Johnson Fire - MTBRF	Montana	3 miles south of Springer Memorial Community in the East Fork of the Bitterroot	6,687	NA
Grouse - MTBDF	Montana	Ten miles southwest of Wise River, MT	6,100	NA
Ratio Mountain - MTBDF	Montana	15 miles northwest of Whitehall, MT.	2,091	NA
Sharrott Creek Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Three miles west of Stevensville, Montana	3,204	NA
Long Tom Fire - MTMTS	Montana	10 miles south of Anaconda, MT	57	57%
Magruder Ridge Fire - MTBRF	Montana	Selway Bitterroot Wilderness	3,625	0%
Elkhorn Ridge - MTBRF	Montana	West Fork District	3,125	0%
Trail Ridge Fire - MTBDF	Montana	22 miles NW of Wisdom MT	18,138	80%
McDermott - MTBDF	Montana	17 miles northwest of Philipsburg, MT	427	NA
Marsh Creek - MTHLF	Montana	12 Miles Southeast of Lincoln, MT	151	0%
Remington Fire - MTGNF	Montana	14 miles NE of Leiter, WY, multiple counties in southeast Montana.	196,368	88%
Pentagon Fire - MTFNF	Montana	45 miles SE of Bigfork, MT	62	0%
Rail Ridge - OROCF	Oregon	Less than 1 mile south of Dayville, OR	175,961	89%
Bingham Fire - ORWIF	Oregon	Bingham Ridge: 2 miles east of Marion Forks and 10 miles south east of Idanha	199	94%
Tiger Creek Fire - ORUMF	Oregon	15 southeast of Walla Walla, WA.	534	83%
Bachelor Complex Fires - ORDEF	Oregon	Mt Bachelor, 20 miles SW Bend, OR	15,517	63%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness, 16 miles west, north-west of Crescent Oregon.	3,053	15%
Willamette Complex Fires - South - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette Complex South fires are 8 miles north and 8 to 22 miles S-SE of Oakridge.	31,296	NA
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	11,073	35%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	11,141	90%
Lane 1 Fire - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	25,952	99%
North Willamette Complex - ORWIF	Oregon	Willamette National Forest	5,492	NA
Whisky Creek Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR	3,203	25%
Microwave Tower Fire - OR95S	Oregon	1 mile WSW of Mosier, OR	1,313	95%
Wiley Flat - OROCF	Oregon	10 miles southeast of Post, Oregon	30,186	98%
Buck Creek Fire - ORFWF	Oregon	12 miles southwest of Silver Lake in a semi-primitive area of the Forest with limited road access.	5,758	98%
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	26,817	89%
Copperfield Fire - OR98S	Oregon	10 miles east of Chiloquin, Oregon	3,822	94%
Lone Rock Fire - ORPRD	Oregon	Lonerock stretching to west of HWY 207 and south to HWY 19	137,222	98%
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%
Williams Mine Fire-GPNF - WAGPF	Washington	3.5 miles NNW of Trout Lake WA	13,092	32%
Ruby Fire - WANCP	Washington	On Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park by Diablo and Ross Lake, 9 miles East of Newhalem	1,336	0%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johannesburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park Campground	211	0%
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%
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
Elk Fire 2024 - WYBHF	Wyoming	Bighorn National Forest	91,905	28%
La Bonte Fire - WYHPD	Wyoming	20 miles south of Douglas and 6 miles west of Esterbrook	3,484	100%
House Draw Fire - WYHPD	Wyoming	9 Mile SE of Buffalo	174,547	94%
Clearwater - WYSHF	Wyoming	11 Miles West of Wapiti, Wyoming	1,966	91%
Pack Trail Fire - WYBTF	Wyoming	2 miles northeast of the confluence of the South Fork and North Fork of Fish Creek	86,555	0%
Leeds Creek - WYBTF	Wyoming	16 Miles Southwest of Dubois, WY	780	75%

Source: Inciweb

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024