Air quality is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups to Moderate across Missoula County. The MT Department of Environmental Quality issued another Air Quality Alert for Missoula County in effect now until 9AM tomorrow (9/5/25) (explained in yesterday’s update).
When air quality is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or Orange on the Air Quality Index, sensitive groups should limit their exposure to the smoke outside/PM2.5 in the air. Keep in mind that wildfire smoke exposure affects everyone diversely and even if you’re not considered a sensitive group, you may be sensitive to smoke and air pollution. The term Sensitive Groups is a catchall for those likely to have a higher sensitivity to air pollution and includes but isn’t limited to people with heart or lung disease, older adults (65+), children under the age of 18 (but younger children are at higher risk), pregnant persons, minority populations, outdoor works, and persons living outdoors. Although the skies are quite smoky out there, there are several ways you can reduce your exposure to smoke. Here’s a list of what you can do:
Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to Wildfire Smoke
- Go to a place with clean indoor air or create one at home/work
- Reduce duration and intensity of outdoor activity, especially strenuous activity
- Wear a well fitted N95 mask (unless if impedes breathing)
- Run vehicle A/C on recirculate instead of fresh air
That first point, seeking clean indoor air, is the best way to reduce exposure to smoke. It’s especially important to create a clean indoor air space in the place(s) you spend the most time, which for most of us is the bedroom sleeping or the working in an office. HEPA Air Cleaners work incredibly well at removing smoke from the air because HEPA filters remove 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.3 microns in size… crazy, right!? Particles of wildfire smoke can be super tiny, like 0.4 to 0.7 microns (most bacteria are larger than that). This graphic compares a lot of tiny particles to the width of a human hair:
If you’re a Northwestern Energy Customer in the market for a HEPA air cleaner, get $100 back on an energy start certified by filling out this Rebate Form.
If you don’t have a HEPA air cleaner, you can filter your indoor air using a box fan and attaching a MERV13 furnace filter to it (DIY Box Fan Filter Info). This method is also very effective; the higher the MERV rating of a filter the better efficiency it has at removing tiny particles. If you have an HVAC system, you can replace your regular filter with a MERV13+ filter for smoke season, but make sure your specific system can handle a higher rated filter.
Okay… now for some info on the smoke in the air! Air quality will likely stay in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups to Moderate range into tomorrow. Smoke is and will be transported south from Canada through Friday due to the northeasterly winds and cold front while keeping smoke from fires in the Bitterroots away from the County. The GOES 18 satellite imagery below shows a large band of Canadian wildfire smoke but it doesn’t stretch as far south as it did yesterday. Strong gusts of wind this evening will provide some mixing, but with the amount of wildfire smoke around, it may just mix the smoke around. The smoke from Canada may disperse enough before it gets to Missoula County so might not have a huge impact. If air quality improves with the wind this evening, it would be a great time to cool off your home by opening your windows and once it’s cooled down, run your air cleaners and enjoy your clean indoor air! Check Fire.AirNow.Gov for the most up-to-date air quality conditions near you.
And just because it wouldn’t be an update without Mushu: your local air quali-kitty is here to remind you that our skies will be blue again and this smoke won’t last forever!
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