Smoke impacts will continue on Sunday and Monday for many areas of Colorado

Wildfires in Colorado and neighboring states will continue to produce significant amounts of smoke, degrading air quality conditions in large areas of central, southern, and southwestern Colorado on Sunday. Weather conditions will remain hot and dry over most of the state, with scattered storms possible for a few areas. This means that fires will likely have another active day on Sunday, with smoke impacts continuing into the workweek.

In early frames of visible satellite imagery, smoke can be seen covering much of our state. Many mountain valleys saw increased impacts on Sunday morning due to smoke settling overnight. Areas further from the fires' locations have seen more widely varying concentrations as daytime mixing of the atmosphere and transport winds interact.

Satellite image of Colorado showing smoke from several wildfires blanketing large areas of central, southern, and southwestern Colorado. Image courtesy CIRA/CSU. 

The Air Quality Health Advisory for Wildfire Smoke has been extended through Monday morning. Clearly the areas in close proximity to fires will continue to see the heaviest smoke, yet we also want folks throughout the Advisory area to remain aware that impacts will remain possible at different times each day, with potential for rapidly changing conditions.

We encourage everyone to remain aware of particulate concentrations in your area, finding times to engage in daily activity during periods when smoke levels may be less harmful, but being ready to reduce activity, move indoors, and take actions to reduce exposure and health impacts when necessary.