Category: Wildfire
Wildfire Smoke Air Quality Update: August 25, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.
Weekend air quality wavered between Good and Moderate across the County and some areas even tipped into air quality that was Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or Orange for a short period of time (Petty Creek!). Wildfires remained active over the weekend and high temperatures are in the forecast before rains come through later this week; […]
Read MoreWildfire Smoke Air Quality Update: August 22, 2025 at 1:30 pm
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 […]
Read MoreWildfire Smoke (Mini) Update October 11-13, 2024
This is a mini update for the weekend of October 11-13! It smells a bit smoky out there and the Air Quality Index in Missoula and Frenchtown is currently Moderate trending up. Air Quality in Seeley Lake is Good. Smoke from fires in Idaho and Montana is draining into the Missoula Valley as the afternoon […]
Read MoreWildfire Smoke Update Sept 11, 2024 at 11:30 AM
As of 11 am, air quality is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups for most of the Missoula Valley and Unhealthy in Lolo. Expect variable smoke levels between good/moderate and Unhealthy today. With any luck, we will have good to moderate air quality as the day progresses. Unhealthy air quality has health impacts for everyone; everyone should limit outdoor activities, especially if they are […]
Read MoreWildfire Air Quality Update Sept 10, 2024 – 1:30 PM
Westerly winds did a most excellent job scouring smoke out of the Missoula Valley yesterday afternoon. Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air quality is expected today with longer lasting good air quality by Wednesday/Thursday as the weather system moves through the multi-state area. Air quality may become Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or Unhealthy in parts of Missoula County […]
Read MoreWildfire Smoke Update – September 9, 2024 10:30 AM
September 9, 2024 10:30 a.m. Wildfire smoke covers large parts of Idaho, Oregon and Montana this morning (see image below). Fire danger is high today so expect smoke impacts to continue through Tuesday. A weather system coming through on Wednesday will hopefully clear the smoke out of the valleys and maybe some of the fires […]
Read MoreWildfire Smoke Update – September 8, 2024 4:00 PM
Smoke from out-of-state fires and from the Bitterroot, primarily the Sharrott Creek Fire, is expected to impact the Missoula Valley through Monday. As of 4 P.M. Sunday, air quality in the Missoula Valley is mostly Unhealthy with some areas at Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. Expect poor air quality through Monday in the Missoula Valley with potentially improved […]
Read MoreWildfire Smoke Air Quality Update September 6, 2024
Good afternoon, It’s a bit hazy, ya’ll. We’re seeing overhead smoke from out-of-state fires, and smoke from the Bitterroot made its way into the Missoula Valley this afternoon. Conditions in Missoula have largely been Moderate, but they’ve waffled between Moderate and Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups in Lolo and tipped briefly into Unhealthy in Florence this […]
Read MoreWildfire Smoke Update – Tuesday Sept 3, 2024
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 […]
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