Smoke impacts continue on Tuesday, expected to be more localized

Several wildfires will continue to produce smoke on Tuesday, affecting air quality conditions for many areas of western Colorado. Wildfires in Rio Blanco and Mesa Counties will create impacts in northwestern and central Colorado, and fires in Dolores and Archuleta Counties will influence areas in southwestern portions of the state. The main difference in our expectations for today (versus yesterday) is that transport winds look to be lighter and less organized. This means that a lot of the smoke that is produced will remain in areas close to the fires. Air Quality Health Advisories for Wildfire Smoke will remain in place into Wednesday morning covering several counties, however please note that the footprint has changed somewhat.

Map of Colorado showing counties that are under advisories for smoke on Tuesday and Wednesday (shaded in grey). Map from colorado.gov/airquality .

One notable difference on Tuesday is the presence of smoke in the Grand Valley, including Grand Junction. The amount of smoke seen in this area has prompted the addition of Mesa County to the advisory area covered by the Lee fire and the Turner Gulch fire. Although smoke will remain within the valley through the morning hours, a gradual decrease has already been seen on Tuesday morning. This trend is expected to continue as atmospheric mixing increases. Improvement of conditions is expected in Grand Junction throughout the day on Tuesday.

A similar story is expected to unfold in southwestern Colorado near the Stoner Mesa fire in Dolores County. Smoke impacts will remain more localized than on Monday, with surface concentrations decreasing throughout the day in many areas. Drainage winds will still draw smoke toward lower terrain overnight, affecting eastern Dolores and northern Montezuma Counties.

We continue to watch all active incidents and will continue with updates here as things develop.