Light smoke and haze over most of the state this afternoon

Today’s air quality is forecast to be in the Good to Moderate range, while areas around regional and local fires may 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 and East Idaho. Southerly winds are nudging smoke from the Park Fire in northern California into Oregon and South Idaho. By late afternoon, light smoke and haze will move over most of the state. The calm conditions associated with the ridge will allow more smoke and haze to loiter over the state overnight and for the subsequent days. As temperatures decrease overnight, lingering smoke can become trapped under surface temperature inversions and raise local AQI levels until inversions break in the late mornings, offering limited clearing.

HRRR-NCEP Near Surface Smoke initialized at 6am MDT August 1, 2024 shows patchy smoke and haze over South Idaho, East Idaho, and the Central Mountains. Eventually most of the state will see light smoke and haze by the evening with areas of smoke near local fires.