Smoke Forecast for Tuesday, August 25, 2026 9:00 AM

August 25 2026

Current Conditions

An Air Resource Advisor has been assigned to the Sand Creek and Bobcat Lakes Fires burning in the Pioneer Mountains of southwest Montana.

An Air Resource Advisor has been assigned to the smoke event across central and western Montana due to the massive wildfires in Oregon and Washington.

Monday afternoon, the most active fires burning in the state include the Camp Creek Fire, burning in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The fire expanded rapidly on Monday and the Camp Creek Fire has now burned close to 6,400 acres. Easterly transport winds will send smoke into the Flathead and Seeley/Swan Valleys on Tuesday. The Nature Grove Fire, burning in the Sapphire Mountains just southeast of Hamilton, was active again on Monday. It has now burned around 300 acres. The Bobcat Lakes and Sand Creek Fires, burning in the Pioneer Mountains, showed increased activity on Monday. Transport winds will remain mostly out of the west on Tuesday in this part of the state. Expect these fires to send smoke into downstream communities like Twin Bridges, Whitehall, and even Bozeman over the next 24-hours.

As of 8 AM, particulate levels in Thompson Falls, Hamilton, Frenchtown, Butte, and Great Falls are moderate.

By Wednesday afternoon, the Rapid Refresh Forecast System (RRFS) smoke model shows areas of moderate to heavy surface smoke adjacent to the most active wildfires burning in Montana.

HRRR Smoke Model

Source: HRRR-smoke

Forecast

High pressure will provide unseasonably warm temperatures around the Northern Rockies Tuesday and Wednesday. Behind a weak cool front, southeasterly transport winds will shift smoke impacts to the west side of active wildfires through Thursday. However, southwest Montana will continue to see mostly westerly transport winds during this timeframe. Monsoonal moisture will introduce the chance for widely scattered showers and thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon, with more widespread precipitation possible by Wednesday afternoon.

Thursday through the weekend, a trough will develop off the Washington and Oregon coasts. As the trough shifts inland, expect a southwesterly flow to bring increasing chances for precipitation around Montana. However, the combination of unseasonably warm temperatures and gusty winds Thursday and Friday will bring elevated fire weather conditions, with rapid fire spread possible on regional wildfires.

Looking ahead to next week, there is increasing confidence in multiple troughs moving through the Treasure State. If verified, this pattern shift would provide fall-like temperatures and beneficial precipitation for the region. The pattern would also help to moderate fire behavior and reduce surface smoke around the state. 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.

Tuesday morning’s satellite image shows a mix of clouds and smoke around the state.

Satellite Imagery of western US

Source: NOAA

Current Wildfires

Incident Name	State	Location	Acres	Containment
Upper Smith Fire	Idaho	Six miles West of Porthill, Idaho	4442	36%
Crooked	Idaho	14 miles northeast of Idaho City Idaho, along the north fork of the Boise River	3164	0%
Cascade	Idaho	22 miles East of Lowell, Idaho	4570	50%
Moose Mountain	Idaho	Approximately 4 miles north of Kelly Forks Camp Ground	4207	8%
Double Springs Fire	Idaho	31 miles Northwest of Mackay , ID	1779	18%
Little Weitas	Idaho	Approximately 19 miles East of Peirce, Idaho	650	NA
Porcupine Fire	Idaho	Approximately 7 miles NE of Clark Fork, ID.	127	0%
Tartar	Idaho	21 Miles NW of Weiser, ID	158027	98%
Chimney Fire	Idaho	9 miles northwest of Fairfield, ID	6521	80%
Duncan	Idaho	50 Miles SW of Mountain Home, ID	16362	70%
Skillet Fire	Montana	15 miles west of Olney, MT	3384	82%
Sand Creek	Montana	7.5 miles southeast of Wisdom, Montana	33088	14%
Bobcat Lakes	Montana	12 miles east of Wisdom	10030	40%
Camp Creek Fire	Montana	NA	6500	NA
Nature Grove Fire	Montana	13 miles east of Hamilton south of Highway 38	153	0%
Deer Creek	Montana	18 Miles W of Marion, MT	960	0%
Cherry Peak	Montana	11 Miles SE of Thompson Falls, MT	200	44%
Moose Fire	Montana	24 miles southwest of Philipsburg	5965	10%
Silvertip Fire	Montana	NA	6737	15%
Black Bear Fire	Montana	15 Miles E of Hamilton, MT	2126	22%
North Fork Fire	Montana	10 miles southwest of Hamilton, MT, north of North Fork Lost Horse Creek	118	70%
Ant Park	Montana	NA	NA	NA
Big Grass Fire	Oregon	Malheur County, Oregon and Owyhee County, Idaho	578637	93%
Wrights Spring	Oregon	2 Miles W of Sprague River OR	54572	65%
Paradise Fire	Oregon	15 miles south of Pendleton Oregon	8213	0%
Hagen Fire	Oregon	26 Miles East of Pendleton, OR	59939	28%
Austin Fire	Oregon	25 Miles SE of Estacada, OR	5295	0%
Henry Fire	Oregon	5 Miles S of PAULINA GUARD STATION, OR	29844	97%
Coyote Fire	Oregon	5 miles south of Post, OR	17460	96%
Shingle Fire	Oregon	14 Miles SE of Mitchell, OR	73183	95%
Grasshopper Fire	Oregon	3 miles North of Sportmans Park, OR	93744	76%
Rowe Creek Complex	Oregon	10 Miles S of Fossil, OR	373981	91%
Second Flat	Oregon	Six miles NE of Riley, OR	105854	99%
Jackass Butte	Oregon	40 Miles S of Burns, OR	24724	92%
Bald Mountain	Oregon	50 Miles SE of Burns, OR	76443	99%
Coleman Creek	Oregon	~1 mile southeast of Juntura	308863	99%
Picture Rock	Oregon	3 Miles N of Summer Lake, OR	1228	75%
Fielder Mountain	Oregon	1 mile west of Rogue River, OR	573	93%
Rosenbaum Fire	Oregon	10 Miles NW of Spray, OR	483	89%
Cottonwood Fire	Oregon	15 miles southwest of Long Creek, Oregon	722	95%
Little Bear	Oregon	8 Miles NE of Mt. Vernon, OR	67	95%
Bologna Fire	Oregon	7 miles northeast of Kimberly, OR	4509	95%
Castle	Oregon	23 Miles NE of Tiller, OR	3613	94%
Fox Fire	Oregon	12 Miles NE of Huntington, OR	78903	90%
Powder River Fire	Oregon	4 Miles SW of RICHLAND, OR	21088	96%
Horse Ridge Fire	Oregon	25 Miles East of Pendleton, OR	860	98%
Burnt Creek Fire	Oregon	23 Miles N of Enterprise, OR	4169	87%
Bench	Oregon	4 miles south of Warm Springs, OR	67071	86%
Salmon Fire	Oregon	34 Miles SW of Baker City, OR	1433	88%
Akawa Butte Fire	Oregon	13 Miles NE of Sisters, OR	27491	99%
Hat Fire	Oregon	40 Miles East of Burns, OR	44122	99%
Hay Creek Complex	Oregon	Gilliam, Sherman and Wasco counties, Oregon	200292	97%
Anthony Fire	Oregon	34 miles north of Baker City, OR	2585	89%
Stubble	Oregon	15 Miles SW of Lawen, OR	15673	87%
Crater	Oregon	35 Miles S of Burns, OR	745	93%
Egypt Fire	Oregon	12 Miles N of Riley, OR	4595	68%
North Cayuse Fire	Oregon	15 miles east of Pendleton, OR.	4887	91%
Sinlahekin Fire	Washington	12 Miles W of Tonasket, WA	155491	53%
Sisi Fire	Washington	10 miles northwest of Stehekin, WA	878	0%
Little Giant Fire	Washington	30 miles NW of Leavenworth, WA	147537	21%
Wonderland Complex	Washington	9 Miles SE of Snoquera, WA	8	0%
Grand Park 2 Fire	Washington	Seven miles southwest of Snoquera, WA	168	78%
King Fire	Washington	7 Miles NE of Snoqualmie Pass, WA	558	0%
Goat	Washington	15 Miles N of Ronald, WA	71	0%
Three Queens	Washington	6 Miles E of Snoqualmie Pass, WA	6968	13%
Colwash	Washington	5 Miles W of Mabton, WA	39073	42%
Kaiser Canyon	Washington	1 mile S of Nespelem, WA	138293	98%
Modrite Fire	Washington	17 Miles SW of Inchelium, WA	57594	98%
Hill Loop	Washington	13 miles N of Kettle Falls, WA	127	72%
Backbone	Washington	7 miles northeast of Packwood, Washington	17	35%
Luna Fire	Washington	10 Miles North of Newhalem, WA	4758	0%
Border 2 Fire	Washington	20 Miles NE of Marblemount, WA	7467	41%
High Lava Fire	Washington	11 Miles NW of Stabler, WA	1915	25%
Ptarmigan Fire	Washington	20 Miles NW of Mazama, WA	24770	55%
Reevas Basin	Washington	3 Miles SE of Tonasket, WA	233	80%
Mount Tom Creek Fire	Washington	Olympic National Park	69	75%
Hudspeth Fire	Washington	3 miles northeast of Hunters, Washington	6726	96%
Bradeen Hill Fire	Washington	17 Miles SW of Colville, WA	4417	92%
Spokane Area Fires	Washington	Spokane County, Washington	9932	NA
Wells Road Fire	Washington	14 Miles NE of St John, WA	1865	78%
Skyo Fire	Washington	3 Miles SW of Packwood, WA	254	83%
Chelan Hills	Washington	1 Mile N of Orando	9735	75%

Source: InciWeb

Tags: smoke forecast