Smoke, smoke everywhere!

Today’s air quality is forecast to be Good to Unhealthy. The highest AQI levels will be seen around the Treasure Valley and Clearwater Basin from the regional and local fires in those areas, with the possibility of periods of VERY UNHEALTHY for the Clearwater Basin. The pattern of smoke becoming trapped under inversions during the evenings and raising the AQI before limited clearing in the late mornings will exist through the weekend.

Smoke and haze are currently seen across South, East, and North Idaho, and the Central Mountains, with thick smoke in the Lewis Clark Valley. Patchy to thick smoke will continue to move into most of the state today with limited dispersion. Overnight, patchy smoke begins to drift into the Idaho Panhandle. As winds increase tomorrow afternoon and take a more southerly direction, limited clearing will be seen for South Idaho from the Magic Valley to the east. Smoke will then settle early Sunday morning in those areas that had limited clearing.

The HRRR-NCEP Near Surface Smoke initialized at 6am MDT July 26, 2024 shows smoke and haze across the state. Most of the smoke is coming from fires in East Oregon, western Montana, Central Washington, and northern California while local fires in Idaho are adding to the total smoke seen.