Smoke Forecast for Monday, July 29, 2024 10:00 AM

July 29 2024

Current Conditions

Montana Department of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality alert for Deer Lodge, Granite, Ravalli, and Silver Bow counties in effect until 8AM 7/30/2024 due to elevated particulate levels from wildfire smoke.

The Wye fire in Idaho has grown rapidly over the last couple of days. There hasn’t been an update to the fire since Friday. The fire has burned well over 7,000 acres.

The Miller Peak fire outside Missoula has burned over 2,700 acres with 65 percent containment. It has grown little over the last few days. The staff managing the Miller Peak fire will transition to a smaller organization, as other fires in the region are becoming more of a priority.

See the latest Air Resource Advisor report from the Miller Peak/Wye Mcrd fires here

At 9:00 AM Monday, Libby, Thompson Falls, Columbia Falls, Seeley Lake, Frenchtown, Missoula, Butte, Dillon, Bozeman, West Yellowstone, Helena, Sleeping Giant, Cut Bank, Great Falls, Lewistown, Billings, Broadus, Miles City, Glendive, Sidney, Choteau, Havre, Malta, were enduring Moderate air quality.

Monday morning’s satellite reveals heavy smoke pouring into Montana from numerous regional wildfires.

Source: NOAA

Forecast

A westerly flow will continue to send smoke from upstream fires into Montana to start the week. The Wye fire just west of the Bitterroot Mountains in Idaho has grown considerably in the last few days. It will continue to send plumes of heavy smoke into parts of Southwest Montana, impacting air quality values. Gusty winds will lead to erratic fire behavior on existing wildfires, but gradually scour out some of the smoke in the valleys by the afternoon and early evening.

Some beneficial rain is expected for parts of Western Montana by Monday afternoon and evening, particularly in the higher terrain of Northwest Montana. The Bitterroot Mountains will also see some much-needed rain from the system, and this could ease fire behavior on the Wye blaze.

High pressure builds over the area starting Wednesday. It will provide another round of unseasonably warm weather for the state and produce mostly dry conditions. The pattern will also allow existing wildfires to expand, with the usual diurnal fluctuations in smoke. High pressure tends to bring overnight pooling and draining of smoke, with deteriorating air quality. Once the inversion breaks around midday, increasing winds will help to provide gradual improvements to air quality.

By Tuesday afternoon, the HRRR smoke model shows a trough bringing some temporary relief from the smoke to parts of Southwest Montana, while the Wye fire continue to send smoke into parts of the Bitterroot Valley.

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 Today's Air or the Fire and Smoke Map.

Current Wildfires

Current Wildfires
Incident	State	location	acres	containment
Boulder Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	9 Miles southwest of Cascade, Idaho.	260	0%
Bench Lake Fire - IDSTF	Idaho	8 miles south of Stanley, Idaho	2,595	85%
2024 Gwen Fire - IDIDS	Idaho	South of Juliaetta Idaho, about 30 miles outside Lewiston near State Highway 3 in Latah County	27,714	0%
Wolf Creek Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	West facing slope of West Mountain, Council Ranger District, Payette National Forest	1,500	0%
Oxbow Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	Near Oxbow dam in Hells Canyon	6,000	NA
Limepoint Fire - IDPAF	Idaho	Hells Canyon, Council Ranger District Payette National Forest	3,500	0%
Bluff Creek Complex - IDIPF	Idaho	The fires are burning along both sides of the Bluff Ridge, approximately 13 1/2 miles southeast of Avery, ID; five and a half miles west from Gold Creek Campground; and approximately two miles northwest of Junction Ridge.	425	NA
Bull Trout Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	Southwest of Bull Trout Lake	100	0%
Wapiti Fire - IDBOF	Idaho	2 miles southwest of Grandjean	50	NA
Wye Fire - IDNCF	Idaho	Approximately four and a half miles northwest of Freeman Peak and seven miles northeast of the Moose Creek Airstrip	7,000	NA
Texas Fire - IDIDS	Idaho	Two miles East of Kendrick, ID	1,582	90%
Thunder Fire - IDSCF	Idaho	12 miles south, southwest of Salmon, ID	2,474	34%
Miller Peak Fire - MTLNF	Montana	7 miles southeast of Missoula	2,724	65%
Blacktail Canyon - MTBDF	Montana	4 miles southeast of Butte, MT	80	95%
Muir Creek Fire - MTGNP	Montana	20 miles southeast of West Glacier, MT and east of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River	30	0%
Butler Creek Fire - MTMTS	Montana	5 miles northwest of Missoula	284	100%
Horse Gulch Fire - MTHLF	Montana	1/2 mile north of Canyon Ferry Dam near Helena, Montana	15,167	100%
Deadman Fire - MTMTS	Montana	Approx 17 mi south of Birney and north of the Tongue River Reservoir in Rosebud and Big Horn Counties	47,827	NA
Crazy Creek - OROCF	Oregon	Crazy Creek:16 miles north of Paulina, OR	16,978	0%
Lone Rock Fire - ORPRD	Oregon	Lone Rock OR stretching to west of HWY 207 and south to HWY 19	137,221	77%
Homestead Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	Thirty miles northeast of Glide Oregon	1,466	4%
Courtrock Fire - OR95S	Oregon	7.1 Miles S. of Monument, Oregon	17,066	24%
Microwave Tower Fire - OR95S	Oregon	5 miles WSW of Mosier, OR	1,306	53%
Whisky Creek Fire - ORMHF	Oregon	East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR	891	0%
Falls Fire - ORMAF	Oregon	20 miles NW of Burns	142,307	69%
Telephone Fire - ORMAF	Oregon	16 miles north east of Burns, Oregon	26,000	0%
Durkee Fire - ORVAD	Oregon	1 mile west of Durkee, Oregon	288,690	49%
Red Fire - ORDEF	Oregon	Diamond Peak Wilderness	423	0%
Battle Mountain Complex - OR97S	Oregon	West and south of Ukiah, OR	172,334	8%
Mineral - ORUPF	Oregon	Approximately 7 miles southeast of Dorena, Oregon	1,201	0%
Jack Saddle - ORUPF	Oregon	Approximately 10 miles SSE of Dorena, Oregon	1,248	0%
Adam Mountain - ORUPF	Oregon	Approximately 6 miles southeast of Dorena, Oregon	5,720	0%
Cottage Grove - Lane 1 - OR77S	Oregon	Approximately 16 miles SE of Springfield, OR	1,617	0%
Clark 900 - OR770S	Oregon	37 miles northeast of Roseburg, OR	3,747	0%
Middle Fork Fire - ORCLP	Oregon	Middle Fork area, west of Crater Lake, Crater Lake National Park	714	1%
Diamond Complex - ORUPF	Oregon	18 miles southwest of Chemult, Oregon	4,990	7%
Ore Fire - ORWIF	Oregon	7 Miles NE of Blue River, OR	1,400	20%
Badland Complex 2024 - ORVAD	Oregon	Baker County, Oregon	54,566	40%
Puddin - ORUPF	Oregon	Approximately 13 miles southeast of Dorena, OR	392	0%
Quartz - ORUPF	Oregon	10 miles SSE Dorena, OR	974	0%
Cow Valley Fire - ORVAD	Oregon	West of Brogan and Northwest of Vale	133,490	99%
Salt Creek - OR710S	Oregon	5 miles SSW of Butte Falls, Oregon	4,102	100%
Pioneer - WASES	Washington	Approximate start 10 miles southeast of Stehekin, WA	33,276	15%
Easy Fire - WAOWF	Washington	North Cascades Hwy 20 Corridor, 17 air miles west of Mazama, WA	528	0%
Retreat - WASES	Washington	14 miles southwest of Naches, WA	22,421	4%
Cougar Creek Fire - WASES	Washington	1 mile west of Hwy 129 and Grand Ronde river intersection	15,703	29%
South Columbia Basin - WANES	Washington	9.5 Miles WSW of Cheney, WA	252	20%
Big Horn Fire - WASES	Washington	7 miles SE of Bickleton Washington, and 7 miles N of Roosevelt, Washington	50,061	52%
Bridge Creek - WACOA	Washington	North of Bridge Creek, East of Elbow River	3,950	43%
Black Canyon - WASES	Washington	10 Miles NW, Naches, WA	9,211	89%
Swawilla Fire - WACOA	Washington	North of Columbia River, East of Swawilla Basin, West of Hwy 21	46,324	26%
Pincer Two Fire - WAMSF	Washington	Johanasburg Mountain. 1 Mile East of Mineral Park C.G.	82	0%

Source: Inciweb

Tags: Smoke Forecast 2024