Good afternoon,
September brought quite the turn of events for air quality. We’ve been spoiled with clean, smoke-free air for most of August which was accompanied by cooler temperatures and unseasonable moisture. The heat over the weekend has increased local fire activity, also resulting in High fire danger for Missoula County. The spell of Unhealthy air yesterday was relatively short lived, thankfully, but Missoula County is still experiencing Moderate air quality in Frenchtown, Seeley Lake, and Missoula trending towards Good. Moderate air quality may cause some aggravation to sensitive groups, and people should reduce outdoor activity if smoke related symptoms arise.
Meanwhile, several fires in Idaho and Oregon are producing a lot of smoke today. The GOES 18 satellite imagery shows smoke from Eastern Oregon swirling towards Idaho, combining with the smoke from fires in Central Idaho, and then moving north towards Missoula. This large smoke mass has been slowly dissipating throughout the day, but if it is overhead when evening rolls in, Missoula County may see deteriorated air quality as smoke descends from the upper atmosphere. Depending on the fire activity of the Sharrott Creek Fire, smoke produced will likely down drain from Stevensville towards Lolo and into Missoula which will add to the particulate matter already present in the air further deteriorating air quality tonight. Air quality may reach levels that are Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or Unhealthy levels overnight. If you need to cool off your house/apartment this evening by opening your windows, I advise to cool it off earlier in the evening if air quality is still Moderate and shut your windows tonight to prevent smoke from coming inside overnight if air quality deteriorates. If the smoke mass dissipates by evening, then Missoula County will likely have Moderate air quality tonight but air quality may still deteriorate in Lolo and Missoula from smoke draining down the Bitterroot Valley from the Sharrott Creek Fire. There is a chance for thunderstorms this evening, which may be inhibited by the large smoke mass from Oregon and Idaho. High temperatures are forecasted for Wednesday which may contribute to more increased fire activity.
Unhealthy air quality has health impacts for everyone; everyone should limit outdoor activities, especially if they are high exertion activities. Sensitive groups such as children, asthmatics, pregnant persons, and those with heart of lunch disease, should highly limit time spent outdoors and seek rest in a clean indoor air environment. When air quality is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, sensitive groups have an increased risk of symptoms from smoke. Limit outdoor activities and go to a clean indoor air environment for rest.
The GOES 18 satellite image above is a great visual of how dirty wildfire smoke is – it’s brown and full of harmful particles. Wildfire smoke can cause an array of health impacts that are still being researched. What we do know is that when wildfire smoke is inhaled, it can cause inflammatory responses in your body and weaken your immune system. The smoke particles are so small, less than 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5), that they bypass some of our bodies defenses against them and enter the bloodstream. Thankfully, there are ways to remove PM2.5 from indoor environments by using portable air cleaners with HEPA filters or using DIY air cleaner with a MERV 13 filter. Check out Montanawildfiresmoke.org for invaluable information on staying healthy when wildfire smoke is in the air!
I will admit, I now have a cache of Mushu pictures waiting to be posted because there hasn’t been a need for an air quality update in August! Inherently, this is a good thing, but your local air quali-kitty does like her little feature. If you’re looking for your own air-quali-kitty, check out all of these adorable adoptable cats at Missoula Animal Control! Breathe safe and don’t forget to keep an eye on the Fire and Smoke Map for the most current air quality.
Kerri Mueller