Where Is The Smoke Coming From In Montana Now?

Hazy skies have covered Montana for a couple of weeks, but where exactly is the wildfire smoke coming from? We've got the wildfire map of Montana, which shows what areas can expect the most smoke in the air.

The 'good' news is that as of July 19th, the Montana wildfire season isn't nearly as raging as it has been in recent years. We DO have active fires burning, and it has already been a deadly wildfire season.

Montana currently has MANY locations that are experiencing "Moderate" AQI (air quality index) numbers, and a few that are "Unhealthy". What air quality numbers and colors are unhealthy? Let's look at the AQI chart:

CHECK THE REAL-TIME MONTANA AQI MAP

What is in wildfire smoke? It's called PM. According to the EPA: "PM stands for particulate matter (also called particle pollution): the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope."

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Fires in Montana are contributing smoke to our forecast area, creating a haze across most of the state. "Saturday night a wind shift is expected which could bring more smoke into the bitterroot valley and clear out smoke along the I-90 corridor."

CHECK THE REAL TIME MONTANA SMOKE MAP