Air Quality

Missoula air quality deemed unhealthy by the Missoula City County Health Department. Sarah Coefield said it could worsen to Very Unhealthy later today.

Wildfire smoke continues to plague western Montana valleys. Air Quality is at unhealthy levels throughout the area, and worse in the Bitterroot Valley.

One picture paints a thousand words, so below, here is a photo of the wildfire smoke heading into the western Montana. Sarah Coefield with the Missoula City-County Health Department says it may be time to buckle in.

Air quality in parts of western Montana deteriorated rapidly overnight.

Fires in Idaho and as far away as Oregon, California and Canada are bringing smoke into the Missoula valley and reducing air quality to near unhealthy levels for sensitive groups.

The red sun hanging over the Missoula valley is proof positive that heavy smoke from Washington and Oregon fires has poured into the area over the past few days.

UPDATE - 6:00 p.m. Sunday, December 15 The Stage One Air Alert for Missoula was cancelled by the Missoula City County Health Department. The air quality is now rated good to moderate for the Missoula valley.

Missoula's air quality is deteriorating because of an inversion that is trapping air down near the valley floor and may be approaching a level at which sensitive groups could be affected.

Smoke from the Lolo Creek Complex Fire has been drifting into the Missoula Valley since the two separate fires, the Schoolhouse and West Fork II, started over the weekend.

The Missoula valley can have some bad air but Salt Lake City has got a real problem. A thick fog over the Salt Lake City area is making some people sick. It's prompted more than 100 local doctors to tell authorities to immediately lower highway speed limits, curb industrial activity and make mass transit free for the rest of the winter...

A Stage Two air alert continues for the Missoula airshed. A strong inversion continues to trap polluted air near the valley floor. An anticipated storm system should move into our area Wednesday evening bring with it some winds and snow...

A panel presented by the American Lung Association on Missoula's air quality will be held Thursday evening in the city council chambers from 7 to 9 p.m.