Patchy smoke still lingering over the state

Light to patchy smoke and haze are visible on local webcams as well. Over North Idaho, winds will shift from the northeast later this morning, nudging the thicker smoke and haze back into Washington while light to patchy smoke and haze will linger through the evening and overnight. That same northeasterly wind will also move patchy to thick smoke and haze from Montana and the East Central Mountains further into Central Idaho. As winds decrease overnight, smoke and haze will settle into the valleys and low-lying areas of Central Idaho before limited clearing takes place tomorrow afternoon. Over South Idaho, this northerly wind will drive patchy smoke and haze into the Snake River Plain this afternoon which will linger overnight with limited clearing expected tomorrow afternoon.

As temperatures decrease tonight, lingering smoke and haze can become trapped under surface temperature inversions and raise local AQI levels until the inversions break later in the morning. The highest AQI levels will be seen around those fires localized to the Central Mountains and North Idaho. Those areas could experience brief periods of VERY UNHEALTHY.

NOAA GOES-West GeoColor (true color) visible satellite image captured at 15:21 UTC (9:21 a.m. MDT) on 4 September 2025 shows patchy smoke and haze across Idaho with clouds over South Idaho and the Central Mountains. Thick smoke is seen over central Washington that has drifted eastward into North Idaho.