Smoke Forecast for Tuesday, July 28, 2026 9:30 AM
Current Conditions
Montana DEQ has issued an air quality alert for Beaverhead, Blaine, Broadwater, Cascade, Chouteau, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Granite, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Liberty, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Petroleum, Pondera, Powell, Ravalli, Sanders, Silver Bow, Teton, Toole, Phillips, and Hill Counties. The alert expires at 9AM on 07/29/2026.
Wildfire smoke from Oregon continues to pour into Montana. Oregon wildfires will remain the biggest contributor to Montana’s smoky skies in the coming days.
There are a handful of wildfires burning across Montana. Unseasonably warm temperatures and low humidity allowed some of these to expand quickly over the last 24-hours. The Elder 1 Fire just west of Frenchtown grew on Monday. It has now burned 510 acres and is 0% contained. Per satellite imagery, the most active wildfire in the state on Monday was the Silvertip Fire, burning east of Flathead Lake in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. It has now burned 394 acres.
At 9:00 AM Tuesday, particulate levels in Billings, Hamilton and Helena are Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. Particulate levels in Butte, Columbia Falls, Cut Bank, Dillon, Frenchtown, Great Falls, Havre, Lewistown, Libby, Malta, Missoula, Sleeping Giant and Thompson Falls are Moderate.
By Wednesday afternoon, the Rapid Refresh Forecast System (RRFS) smoke model shows light to moderate smoke covering much of the western half of the state from domestic and regional wildfires.
Source: HRRR-smoke
Forecast
Unseasonably warm temperatures, low humidity, and gusty afternoon winds will lead to additional growth on regional wildfires on Tuesday. 1.5 million acres have already burned across Washington and Oregon. It is these wildfires that are primarily responsible for Montana’s smoky skies of late.
Isolated thunderstorms will be possible each evening through Thursday. These storms will contain little to no precipitation, gusty winds, and lightning. Dense smoke reduces instability, so areas with less smoke are more likely to see these storms. These dry thunderstorms have the potential to spark additional wildfires.
Starting Friday, the ridge of high pressure begins to shift east. This will produce critical fire weather thanks to unusually warm air, low humidity, and gusty westerly winds. Record warmth is possible by Saturday afternoon with 100+ degree heat possible for some areas. More seasonable temperatures are expected by Sunday and Monday with highs back in the 80s. Unfortunately, there is no widespread precipitation in the forecast throughout the next week or so. Smoky skies will remain a nearly constant theme into the first week of August. Stay tuned!
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 regional wildfires is creating smoky skies early Tuesday morning across much of Montana.
Source: NOAA
| Incident Name | State | Location | Acres | Containment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Smith Fire | Idaho | Approx 20 miles northwest of Bonners Ferry, ID, up the Smith Creek Drainage | 1573 | 15% |
| Chimney Fire | Idaho | 9 miles northwest of Fairfield, ID | 6521 | 80% |
| Cascade | Idaho | 22 miles East of Lowell, Idaho | 280 | NA |
| Claremont Fire | Idaho | 1 mile NE of Boise, Idaho | 6606 | 90% |
| Duncan | Idaho | 50 Miles SW of Mountain Home, ID | 16362 | 70% |
| Turner Fire | Idaho | 5 miles south of Copeland, Idaho | 681 | 100% |
| Elder 1 Fire | Montana | 7 Miles west of Frenchtown, MT | 510 | NA |
| Twin Sisters Fire | Montana | 10 miles northwest of Judith Gap, MT | 100 | 5% |
| North Fork Fire | Montana | 10 miles southwest of Hamilton, MT, north of North Fork Lost Horse Creek | 105 | NA |
| Burnt Creek Fire | Oregon | 23 Miles N of Enterprise, OR | 3117 | 0% |
| Castle | Oregon | 23 Miles NE of Tiller, OR | 1550 | 0% |
| Hay Creek Complex | Oregon | Gilliam, Sherman and Wasco counties, Oregon | 193115 | 90% |
| Anthony Fire | Oregon | 34 miles north of Baker City, OR | 2560 | 89% |
| Shingle Fire | Oregon | 14 Miles SE of Mitchell, OR | 63253 | 6% |
| Akawa Butte Fire | Oregon | 13 Miles NE of Sisters, OR | 27433 | 6% |
| Bologna Fire | Oregon | 7 miles northeast of Kimberly, OR | 2425 | 65% |
| Henry Fire | Oregon | 5 Miles S of PAULINA GUARD STATION, OR | 28827 | 35% |
| Rowe Creek Complex | Oregon | 10 Miles S of Fossil, OR | 294900 | 33% |
| Coyote Fire | Oregon | 5 miles south of Post, OR | 17447 | 57% |
| 2026 Coleman Creek | Oregon | ~1 mile southeast of Juntura | 140000 | 0% |
| Paradise Fire | Oregon | 15 miles south of Pendleton Oregon | 760 | NA |
| Horse Ridge Fire | Oregon | 25 Miles East of Pendleton, OR | 835 | 76% |
| Hagen Fire | Oregon | 26 Miles East of Pendleton, OR | 26879 | NA |
| Fox Fire | Oregon | 12 Miles NE of Huntington, OR | 51490 | 0% |
| Brewer Fire | Oregon | 15 Miles E of Madras, OR | 70821 | 10% |
| GREEN MOUNTAIN | Oregon | 11 Miles N of Prineville, OR | 400 | 0% |
| East Evans Creek Fire | Oregon | 14 Miles NE of Rogue River | 15580 | 66% |
| Salmon Fire | Oregon | 34 Miles SW of Baker City, OR | 1426 | 60% |
| Powder River Fire | Oregon | 4 Miles SW of RICHLAND, OR | 21058 | 84% |
| Bench | Oregon | 4 miles south of Warm Springs, OR | 40296 | 0% |
| Crater | Oregon | 35 Miles S of Burns, OR | 742 | 70% |
| Stubble | Oregon | 15 Miles SW of Lawen, OR | 15673 | 70% |
| Bald Mountain | Oregon | 50 Miles SE of Burns, OR | 25992 | 1% |
| Second Flat | Oregon | Six miles NE of Riley, OR | 85382 | 5% |
| Jackass Butte | Oregon | 40 Miles S of Burns, OR | 18539 | 30% |
| Grasshopper | Oregon | 7 miles west of Wamic | 10742 | 0% |
| Egypt Fire | Oregon | 12 Miles N of Riley, OR | 4595 | 68% |
| North Cayuse Fire | Oregon | 15 miles east of Pendleton, OR. | 4887 | 91% |
| Bradeen Hill Fire | Washington | Gifford, WA | 3841 | 0% |
| Pearl Hill | Washington | 10 miles SE of Bridgeport, Washington | 8058 | 38% |
| Sinlahekin Fire | Washington | 12 Miles W of Tonasket, WA | 2313 | 0% |
| Modrite Fire | Washington | 17 Miles SW of Inchelium, WA | 10185 | 63% |
| Skyo Fire | Washington | 3 Miles SW of Packwood, WA | 139 | 5% |
| Little Giant Fire | Washington | 30 miles NW of Leavenworth, WA | 22296 | 0% |
| Border 2 Fire | Washington | 20 Miles NE of Marblemount, WA | 1425 | 0% |
| Luna Fire | Washington | 10 Miles north of Newhalem, WA | 320 | 0% |
| Kaiser Canyon Fire | Washington | Nespelem Okanogan / Kaiser Canyon | 124251 | 16% |
| Ptarmigan Fire | Washington | 25 Miles NW of Mazama, WA | 2500 | 0% |
| Mount Tom Creek Fire | Washington | Olympic National Park | 69 | 75% |
| B and O Fire | Washington | 23200 Block of State Route 20, Okanogan, Washington | 2762 | 95% |
| Chelan Hills | Washington | 1 Mile N of Orando | 9735 | 75% |
Tags: smoke forecast