BOZEMAN – Thick wildfire smoke has returned to most of the region and it’s impacting air quality conditions.
Air quality rating at 1:15 pm Monday in SW Montana.
The flow is out of the west to SW with a High-pressure ridge pattern sitting over the central and northern Rockies. There are large complex wildfires from norther California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and several smaller fires in Montana. This has opened to door for that thick wildfire smoke to pass through our region. Unfortunately, this will be an ongoing trend with bouts of thick smoke at times, a slight improvement with cold fronts passing through from time to time.
An AIR QUALITY ALERT is up until further notice for all of SW Montana but most of western and central Montana, central Idaho, and northern Wyoming. Try and limit your time outdoors especially if the thick smoke is hazardous to your health.
This SW flow will help bring in some rain and possible thunderstorms beginning late Tuesday afternoon from Butte to Dillon and by early Wednesday morning for Bozeman. Hopefully, this will improve air quality but that is not a guarantee.
