Smoke conditions have improved from yesterday evening and morning as a localized northerly wind dispersed smoke south. Transport winds are coming out of the northwest with a slightly stronger northerly component this morning and moving smoke from Washington and Canada toward Missoula County. Most of that smoke will likely be sent south and southwest of us, particularly across central Idaho. We will still continue to receive smoke from fires in Washington and Canada in the next couple of days. Come Thursday, transport winds will start shifting again with a more westerly, southwesterly direction pulling smoke from Oregon again.
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 are 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 is not 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 workers, and persons living outdoors.
Ways to reduce your exposure to wildfire smoke
There are several ways you can reduce your exposure to smoke. Here is a list of what you can do:
Go to a place with clean indoor air or create one at home or work.
Wear a well fitted N95 or KN95 mask (unless it impedes breathing).
Run your vehicle A/C on recirculate instead of pulling smoky outside air into the car.
Smoke conditions can change quickly and throughout the day as dispersion improves. Notice that it looks a little nicer? Check Fire.AirNow.Gov to see what the current air quality is. And when we have times of respite from the smoke, enjoy some time outside. Your local air quali-kitty, Mushu, knows that eventually this smoke season will end and the skies will be clear!
This content is sourced from
Missoula Public Health
. It reflects the author's views and has not been edited by our newsroom. It may have been generated using AI assistance.
