Light smoke and haze may linger

Today’s air quality is forecast to be in the Good to Moderate range, though areas near local fires could experience brief periods of Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.

Currently, patchy smoke and haze are seen across portions of the Snake River Plains and the Central Mountains. Light smoke and haze are visible in North Idaho. The winds from the past few days have allowed for clearing to occur for most of the state. As winds become more southerly, smoke will begin to move back into the region from northern California fires tomorrow morning, mainly in eastern Oregon and along the southern Idaho border. Light smoke and haze will linger across South Idaho, East Idaho, and the Central Mountains with areas of smoke near local fires. As temperatures decrease overnight, lingering smoke can become trapped under surface temperature inversions and raise local AQI levels until the inversions break in late morning, offering limited clearing.

HRRR-NCEP Near Surface Smoke initialized at 6am MDT July 31, 2024 shows patchy smoke and haze over South Idaho, East Idaho, and the Central Mountains.