Smoke Forecast for Friday, July 24 2026 9:00 AM
Current Conditions
Wildfires across Washington and Oregon remained active again on Thursday. Smoke from these fires will continue to obscure Montana skies in the coming days.
Beneficial precipitation fell across parts of Idaho and Montana Thursday and early Friday. This should help keep fuel moistures in check as temperature soar in the coming days.
At 8:00 AM Friday, air quality was moderate over Libby, Thompson Falls, Cut Bank, Havre, Columbia Falls, Helena, Dillon, Malta, Glasgow, and Glendive.
By Saturday afternoon, the Rapid Refresh Forecast System (RRFS) smoke model shows decreasing surface smoke over the northern half of the state.
Source: HRRR-smoke
Forecast
Beneficial rain fell across parts of Idaho and Montana between Thursday and early Friday. This will help to keep fuel moistures in decent shape as unseasonably warm air arrives in the coming days. A southwesterly flow will help transport smoke from active wildfires burning over Washington and Oregon into Montana over the next several days. However, most smoke models are showing decreasing surface smoke over Montana between Saturday and Sunday.
Monsoonal moisture will remain bottled up well south of the Northern Rockies in the coming days. As a result, afternoon thunderstorm chances will be limited. Unseasonably warm temperatures will linger over the state thanks to a sprawling area of high pressure. Wildfire smoke will limit peak afternoon heating for some locations.
Expect the usual diurnal trends to smoke behavior in the coming days. Smoke tends to drain and pool overnight, leading to deteriorating air quality. As inversions break up starting around mid-morning and winds start to increase, surface pollutants are transported away from the surface and air quality typically improves.
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.
Smoke from Oregon and Washington wildfires continues to stream into Montana early Friday morning.
Source: NOAA
| Incident Name | State | Location | Acres | Containment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claremont Fire | Idaho | 1 mile NE of Boise, Idaho | 6606 | 85% |
| Upper Smith Fire | Idaho | Approx 20 miles northwest of Bonners Ferry, ID, up the Smith Creek Drainage | 1061 | 15% |
| Turner Fire | Idaho | 5 miles south of Copeland, Idaho | 681 | 82% |
| Rowe Creek Complex | Oregon | 10 Miles S of Fossil, OR | 192681 | 27% |
| Hay Creek Complex | Oregon | Gilliam, Sherman and Wasco counties, Oregon | 155800 | 60% |
| Salmon Fire | Oregon | 34 Miles SW of Baker City, OR | 1433 | 60% |
| Paradise Fire | Oregon | 15 miles south of Pendleton Oregon | 707 | NA |
| Horse Ridge Fire | Oregon | 25 Miles East of Pendleton, OR | 793 | NA |
| Hagen Fire | Oregon | 26 Miles East of Pendleton, OR | 15799 | NA |
| Burnt Creek Fire | Oregon | 23 Miles N of Enterprise, OR | 2678 | 0% |
| Anthony Fire | Oregon | 34 miles north of Baker City, OR | 2488 | 57% |
| Box Springs | Oregon | 18 Miles W of MITCHELL, OR | 15203 | 0% |
| Brewer Fire | Oregon | 15 Miles E of Madras, OR | 32707 | 5% |
| Akawa Butte Fire | Oregon | 13 Miles NE of Sisters, OR | 26144 | 3% |
| East Evans Creek Fire | Oregon | 14 Miles NE of Rogue River | 15705 | 38% |
| Bologna Fire | Oregon | 7 miles northeast of Kimberly, OR | 2269 | 8% |
| Powder River Fire | Oregon | 4 Miles SW of RICHLAND, OR | 21030 | 41% |
| Henry Fire | Oregon | 5 Miles S of PAULINA GUARD STATION, OR | 20151 | 18% |
| Coyote Fire | Oregon | 5 miles south of Post, OR | 17406 | 47% |
| Egypt Fire | Oregon | 12 Miles N of Riley, OR | 4595 | 39% |
| North Cayuse Fire | Oregon | 15 miles east of Pendleton, OR. | 4887 | 91% |
| Kaiser Canyon Fire | Washington | Nespelem Okanogan / Kaiser Canyon | 89259 | 3% |
| Modrite Fire | Washington | 17 Miles SW of Inchelium, WA | 9082 | 0% |
| Little Giant Fire | Washington | 30 miles NW of Leavenworth, WA | 7558 | 0% |
| Luna Fire | Washington | 10 Miles north of Newhalem, WA | 7 | 0% |
| Border 2 Fire | Washington | 20 Miles NE of Marblemount, WA | 200 | 0% |
| Mount Tom Creek Fire | Washington | Olympic National Park | 69 | 75% |
| Royal Lake | Washington | 8 miles NW of Othello, WA | 1995 | 95% |
| B and O Fire | Washington | 23200 Block of State Route 20, Okanogan, Washington | 2762 | 95% |
| Chelan Hills | Washington | NA | 9861 | 95% |
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