Incoming air quality update! It’s been quite the blue bird summer with skies only clouding with smoke occasionally. Today, smoke from several surrounding fires is causing Moderate air quality across the County, specifically in Missoula, Frenchtown, and Seeley Lake. Good air quality is already returning (check out the GOES 18 satellite imagery below for comparison of this morning and this afternoon), but some smoke is still expected for this weekend. When air quality is Moderate, the risk of health impacts is most concerning for those unusually sensitive to air pollution but can impact everyone; consider shortening your outdoor activities or decreasing the intensity to reduce your smoke exposure.
Today and Saturday, easterly winds will transport smoke from the Windy Rock and Devil Mountain Fires towards Clinton, Missoula, and Lolo. For this weekend, expect the pattern of smoke draining into valleys in the evening and then lifting out during the day, especially for any fires nearby like the Corral Creek Fire south of Huson. A ridge of high pressure over the weekend could prevent smoke from clearing out and also increase fire activity. Wildfire smoke presence can change hourly especially with changing weather conditions. Check Fire.AirNow.Gov often for the most up to date levels of smoke and particulate matter in the air. To reduce your smoke exposure this weekend, be cognizant of the amount of time you spend outside and the intensity of those activities. If needed, seek respite from smoke somewhere with clean indoor air; learn about cleaning your indoor air at MontanaWildfireSmoke.org.
If you haven’t already, familiarize yourself with the Air Quality Index or the AQI and learn which colors you should watch for to start taking action to reduce your smoke exposure. This will be different for everyone as smoke affects everyone in various ways. A Yellow AQI means air quality is Moderate. The Orange AQI means air quality is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups which includes all children under the age of 18, older adults, those with respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, and more. A Red AQI means air quality is Unhealthy for Everyone! As the AQI colors get darker, air quality worsens, and the health impacts greatly increase for everyone.
I’m also happy to report that through a partnership with Climate Smart Missoula and the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), we have established four Clean Air Centers throughout the County. They’re located at the Lolo, Missoula, and Seeley Lake Public Libraries in Missoula County and North Valley, Bitterroot, and Darby Public Libraries in Ravalli County. These centers are spaces to seek respite from wildfire smoke, find resources to understand the risks from smoke exposure, and learn strategies to create a clean indoor air space. Learn more and check out their hours here: Clean Air Centers.
I’m really torn between the lack of updates, folks. On the one hand, the lack of updates is ultimately a great thing for our summer and our health! But on the other hand… I have a huge cache of Mushu pictures that I haven’t been able to show off. In case you’ve missed your local air quali-kitty, she’s keeping her paws on the trails and limiting her time outside when wildfire smoke rolls in. She suggests you do the same!
