Treasure Valley residents can expect a smoky weekend as fires in and around Idaho continue to bring smoke into the region, further contributing to the Gem State’s record-setting summer of smoke.
“The weather service put it this way,” Paul Corrigan, U.S. Forest Service intermountain region smoke coordinator, said. “With fires to our north, east and west, it will be hard to have clean air in the near-term in the Boise area … I think they’re right.”
The biggest impact on the influx of smoke in Boise last weekend was the Wapiti fire burning near Stanley. A high-pressure system caused the smoke to remain low and work its way downstream, along the valleys of the Boise River. This was followed by the Treasure Valley seeing additional smoke Sunday through Tuesday from fires in Oregon, Corrigan said.
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s air quality forecast for the Treasure Valley shows that the air is expected to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups” from Friday through Sunday.
Winds from the south are expected to bring clean air and “noticeably clear skies” by Sunday evening, Corrigan said.