Smoke and haze across the state

Today’s air quality is forecast to be in the Good to Unhealthy range, though areas near regional and local fires could experience brief periods of Very Unhealthy.

The fires in the Central Mountains of Idaho are generating areas of thick smoke and haze. Light to patchy smoke and haze are visible over North, East, and South Idaho. This afternoon, southerly winds will nudge smoke towards the Clearwater Basin and the Magic Valley. Limited dispersion can be expected across portions of South and North Idaho this afternoon. Patchy smoke and haze will drift into South and North Idaho later this evening. As temperatures decrease over night, lingering smoke can become trapped under surface temperature inversions and raise local AQI levels until the inversions break later the following morning, offering limited clearing. Light to patchy smoke and haze will move into portions of East Idaho early tomorrow morning.

HRRR-NCEP Near Surface Smoke model initialized at 6 a.m. MDT August 22, 2024 shows areas of smoke and haze from local fires in the Central Mountains extending northward. Light to patchy smoke and haze are seen over North Idaho and the Magic Valley.