Air Quality Advisory issued downwind of the Derby wildfire

 The Derby fire has grown significantly over the past 24 hours and is producing very large amounts of smoke Wednesday afternoon.  The transport winds over the fire are not particularly strong, but they are pushing smoke to the south and east.  This has resulted in increased fine particulate (PM2.5) concentrations and worsening air quality across large swaths of Eagle, Summit, Pitkin, and Lake Counties.  An Air Quality Health Advisory for Wildfire Smoke has been issued for this area through at least 9am Thursday morning.   

The numerous communities along that long stretch of Interstate 70 between Silverthorne and Dotsero will be impacted by reduced visibility and periods of moderate to heavy smoke. Also expect increasing smoke Wednesday evening in places like Aspen and Leadville.  So please drive safely in areas where visibility is obscured. And as always, we remind you to please take action to protect your health. The valleys in this part of Colorado are notorious for trapping smoke, so this could very well be an issue through the Thursday morning commute.

GeoColor image of the Derby fire and heavy smoke located in northwestern Eagle County. Image courtesy of Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University