Smoke is expected to increase over the coming days

Smoke impacts today are anticipated to expand. Expect impacts at the surface to be light, as most of the smoke is being transported into the region from fires burning in central California, Oregon, and Washington. Moscow and the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene corridor into Idaho should expect to see both surface smoke and smoke aloft today. Local impacts on a shorter duration should be expected in the vicinity of Garden Valley, the Northern Magic Valley, and Owyhee County due to local fires in those areas. The AQI forecasts are expected to remain elevated for those regions.

The image below shows the 07/17/2018 Wildfire smoke satellite analysis. It is possible to see several new hotspot detects and increased coverage in smoke across the Pacific Northwest. Data source: NOAA Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Product