Smoke Outlook through Noon MDT Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Air quality is forecast to continue to remain in the Good to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air quality category for the 24 hour AQI across the state today.  Monitors are currently reading in the Good to Unhealthy.   Areas currently being impacted are across the northern Panhandle, south to the Salmon River corridor, east into the Salmon-Challis corridor, and interspersed across southwest and southern Idaho.

Today will see an upper level ridge axis settle directly over Idaho.  As such, temperatures will be quite hot.  The southerly component will bring a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms to the southern Highlands and Central Idaho Mountains today.  Over southern Idaho, surface winds will be from the west-southwest at 5-15 mph while north Idaho will experience easterly winds at 2-8 mph.  Skies will be mostly sunny. Mixing heights will range from 2,000-12,000 feet AGL across all of Idaho today.  Transport winds will be from the west-southwest at 5-15 mph.  A minor disturbance is expected to bring a chance for afternoon thunderstorms to all airsheds tomorrow before a ridge pattern builds through the holiday weekend.

Smoke impacts are expected to be greater in the morning prior to the inversion lift with afternoon clearing.  Widespread smoke aloft will persist today as smoke from regional fires is advected into the area.  Surface level smoke is expected to be highest over Central Idaho, affecting Idaho, Clearwater, Nez Perce, and Lewis Counties while the rest of northern Idaho should expect to see continued elevated levels of smoke. This is due both the fires burning within the state and regional fires burning in Montana and Oregon.  Southern Idaho is expected to see light impacts during the morning before clearing in the afternoon.