The current air quality across Missoula County is Moderate with a couple sensors reading Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. See current air quality conditions at Fire.AirNow.Gov.
A southwesterly flow continues to transport smoke from Oregon toward Missoula County and western Montana. The strength of those winds and the intensity of the fires in Oregon have lessened, but as you can see in the satellite imagery, there is still a lot of smoke that can head our way. Winds remain relatively calm through today, but come Saturday afternoon and into Sunday, expect stronger gusts of wind and, with a cold front, some slightly cooler temperatures. Southwesterly transport winds will continue to move smoke toward western Montana until Sunday, when we will experience a westerly transport wind. This is likely to carry smoke from fires in central Washington toward western Montana. Check out regional fire information at Inciweb.wildfire.gov.
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The nearby Elder 1 Fire has grown to 1,034 acres and is 14% contained. Fire danger in Missoula County has moved to very high due to dry conditions, high winds and consistent hot temperatures. When fire danger is very high, fires can readily spread in open, dry grasslands and can burn in heavy timber and dead and downed trees, especially on windy days. If you have a campfire this weekend, be sure to keep it small and completely extinguish it before leaving — Smokey Bear says cold to the touch. Do your part in preventing wildfires so fire resources can continue to assist with these natural lightning starts.
Widening our local circle a bit, just north of us the Skillet Fire west of Whitefish and the Silvertip Fire in the Bob Marshall Wilderness are growing in size. There are a few other small fires around Montana. MTFireInfo.org is a resource for new fire starts and updates on current fires. For further weekend planning, read through the state smoke forecast put out by Montana DEQ.
When traveling or staying in town this weekend, take steps to reduce your smoke exposure. Even when air quality is Moderate, we are still being exposed to air pollution that has long-term health effects. When driving, roll your windows up and run the air on recirculate. Keep an N95 mask on hand, and if you are doing an outdoor activity that is not very strenuous, such as reading a book outside or mowing the lawn, wear a mask to reduce your smoke exposure. Continue to run your portable air cleaner with a HEPA filter or a MERV 13+ furnace filter attached to a box fan. Because it is smoke season and conditions can change quickly, keep Fire.AirNow.Gov handy on your phone or computer. Get plenty of rest and stay hydrated, since smoke causes inflammatory responses in the body and weakens the immune system.
