Aug. 1, 2026: Wildfire Smoke Air Quality Update

The current air quality across Missoula County ranges from Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. The Rattlesnake neighborhood experienced several hours of air quality that was Unhealthy for Everyone last night. See current air quality conditions at Fire.AirNow.Gov.

Smoke continues to impact Missoula County and western Montana from fires in Oregon. As mixing improves throughout the day, smoke should lift out of valleys. As the sun sets, mixing will decrease and smoke overhead will sink to the ground. With the southwesterly and westerly winds this weekend, the nearby Elder 1 Fire southwest of Frenchtown, now at 1221 acres and 16% contained, will send smoke into and across the Missoula valley. As transport winds shift more westerly tonight and Sunday, smoke from several fires in central Washington will be transported towards Missoula county and western Montana. Between the southwesterly flow and the change to westerly, we may experience a short-lived reprieve from the smoke. Air quality will be variable this weekend depending on shifting transport winds.

Check out regional fire information at Inciweb.wildfire.gov.

GOES West satellite imagery

When viewing the EPA Fire & Smoke Map, you'll notice monitors displayed in different colors—most are yellow or orange, while some are red. These colors represent the Air Quality Index (AQI), which translates PM2.5 (fine particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller) into color-coded categories based on potential health impacts.

Each AQI color represents a defined range of values. For example, an AQI of 97 falls in the Moderate (Yellow) category, while an AQI of 102 falls in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (Orange) category. Understanding these category thresholds helps you interpret air quality more accurately, especially when AQI values are near the boundary between two categories.

The AQI was intended to understand the short-term health impacts of air pollution and in our case currently, wildfire smoke. When it comes to wildfire smoke and other air pollutants, we need to consider not only the short-term health effects, but the long-term health effects too. Learn more about the health risks or wildfire smoke at MontanaWildfireSmoke.org.

Enjoy the weekend and take care of yourselves as smoke rolls in and out (and back into) of our valleys!