Smoke to affect all areas of Colorado on Tuesday and Wednesday

Wildfire smoke from several western states will affect air quality in Colorado on Tuesday and into Wednesday. An Air Quality Health Advisory for Wildfire Smoke has been issued for all counties in Colorado.

The reason that the advisory covers such a large area is that there are several ways that smoke is moving into our state. Fires in Utah and Nevada are producing large plumes that are moving east. This smoke is now in western areas of Colorado, and will move further south and east on Tuesday. These fires were very active on Monday. Large columns of smoke rising into the atmosphere are seen on the left side of the image below. 

Late in the day on Monday, a cold front pushed additional smoke into eastern and central Colorado. This is seen in the upper right areas of the image below.

Satellite image of smoke arriving in Colorado at 7 pm MDT on Monday August 3, 2026. Transport is from the west due to fires in Utah and Nevada, and from the northeast due to fires in several upwind states. Image courtesy CSU/CIRA/NOAA.

As all of this smoke moves through our region, we expect levels of fine particulates to create air quality impacts in all areas of Colorado. Concentrations will likely differ in time and place. However we want to stress that the potential for smoke will be present across all of Colorado on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning. Please remain aware of air quality conditions in your area, and take steps to reduce health impacts.