Cold front up north bringing more smoke before clearing

Air quality will range from GOOD to UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS in the next 24 hours.

Smoke and haze from neighboring states continues to drift over Idaho. Afternoon winds and inversion breaking today will provide limited clearing of patchy smoke and haze as a dry cold front moves into the region. As the cold front moves through, it will bring more smoke and haze across North Idaho raising AQI levels potentially to the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range. Clearing will come behind this push in the afternoon.

Per usual, decreasing temperatures overnight will trap lingering smoke and haze under surface inversions - potentially elevating the AQI in the Central Mountains and South Idaho - and rising temperatures the tomorrow morning will break the inversion and near ground smoke and haze should lift. 

HRRR-NCEP Smoke Near Surface Smoke initialized 12Z (6am MDT) 10 July 2024 shows light smoke and haze over most of the state. The cold front moving through the region can be seen dragging thicker smoke eastward from the Washington fires. This thicker smoke will move through North Idaho overnight and into the Central Mountains and Montana by the afternoon.