Smoke skies covering the state

Today's air quality is forecast to be in the GOOD to UNHEALTHY range across the state, though areas with local fires in the Central Mountains and North Idaho could experience brief periods of VERY UNHEALTHY.

Smoke production across the Central Mountains continues to produce hazy conditions across Idaho while fires in eastern Washington, western Oregon, and northern California, western Montana, and British Columbia also contribute to the haziness.

Patchy to thick smoke and haze will linger with limited clearing over the Panhandle this afternoon while thick smoke will linger today over Central Idaho.

Patchy smoke is entering the Snake River Plain this morning and will drift westward towards Oregon. A shortwave trough will move through this afternoon allowing for limited clearing before more smoke settles in the valleys and low-lying areas overnight.

As temperatures decrease tonight, lingering smoke and haze will become trapped under surface temperature inversions and settle in valleys and low-lying areas which will raise local AQI levels until the inversions break later in the morning.

NOAA GOES-West GeoColor (true color) visible satellite image captured at 15:36 UTC (9:36 a.m. MDT) on 5 September 2025 shows patchy smoke and haze across Idaho with few clouds over South Idaho. Thick smoke is seen over central Washington that has drifted eastward into North and Central Idaho.