Heaviest smoke continues to avoid Colorado

The EPA's Fire and Smoke Map and GOES-18 visible satellite image (see below) show exactly where the active wildfires and heavy smoke are located.  Colorado has been fortunate in recent weeks with the vast majority of that smoke remaining north of the state.  The question becomes, how long will our luck hold out?  The good news is that, at least in the short-term, the really heavy smoke will remain north and northwest of Colorado.  However, that does not mean that we will remain completely unscathed.  In fact, a quick smoke intrusion is looking increasingly likely for the northeastern corner of Colorado on Tuesday.  This would include the northern Front Range region (Ft. Collins, Boulder, Denver) along with the adjacent plains (Julesburg, Sterling).  So expect increasingly hazy skies in this part of Colorado on Tuesday along with elevated levels of particle pollution.  We are not expecting major health impacts at this time, but if you do suffer from heart/lung disease you may want to take this into account if you do plan on spending time outdoors on Tuesday.  More information can be found on our wildfire smoke and health webpage.

EPA's Fire and Smoke Map shows elevated particle pollution (in yellow, orange and red) across the northwestern U.S.

GOES-18 visible satellite image shows heavy smoke originating from wildfires in Oregon, Idaho and Montana