Wildfire smoke from Spokane to impact parks

Wildfire smoke from fires burning near Spokane, Washington, is forecast to spread across a broad stretch of the U.S. West by Thursday night, according to Fox Weather. The smoke plume is expected to reach major recreation areas and several of the country’s best-known national parks, including Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton, the outlet reported. AirNow’s fire and smoke map and the National Park Service’s air-monitoring pages provide the public with current smoke and air-quality conditions as the plume shifts. The Spokane-area fires are already producing heavy smoke and have been tied to a wider wildfire emergency in eastern Washington. Fox Weather reported earlier this week that three major fires around Spokane had burned more than 10,500 acres, with zero containment and more than 700 structures destroyed. NASA said smoke from fires near Spokane and elsewhere in eastern Washington was visible streaming into Idaho, Montana and parts of Canada in satellite imagery captured on August 2. (foxweather.com) ### Which parks are in the path of the smoke? Fox Weather said smoke is expected to affect parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Montana, with portions of Colorado also under air-quality alerts. The forecast specifically flagged Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park and Grand Teton National Park as places where visitors could encounter hazy skies and poorer air quality. (foxweather.com) National Park Service pages show those parks and nearby gateways have active air-quality monitoring or conditions pages that visitors can check before traveling. Yellowstone’s live air page lists real-time weather and air-quality data for monitoring locations including the park’s West Entrance, while Grand Teton maintains an alerts and conditions page for visitors. (foxweather.com) ### Why does smoke matter even if a park stays open? AirNow says wildfire smoke is driven mainly by fine particle pollution, or PM2.5, which can affect what people breathe as well as how far they can see. The agency’s fire and smoke map is designed to help the public prepare for smoke impacts and track conditions as they change. The National Park Service’s air program publishes current data from park monitors around the country, including western parks that can be affected by summer and fall wildfire smoke. (nps.gov) That means a park can remain open while visibility, trail conditions and air quality change significantly over the course of a day. ### How far has the smoke already spread? NASA said the smoke from eastern Washington fires poured east-northeast across Washington into Idaho, Montana and several Canadian provinces on August 2. (fire.airnow.gov) The Washington State Department of Ecology said on August 3 that multiple large fires were burning across the state and that Spokane had experienced devastating wildfire impacts while smoke spread across Washington and Oregon. (nps.gov) Fox Weather’s August 6 forecast extended that footprint farther south and east by Thursday night, saying smoke would engulf cities and towns across many western states. That forecast included Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Montana, with impacts also reaching parts of Colorado, including Denver, according to the report. ### What should travelers check before heading out? (science.nasa.gov) AirNow and the National Park Service both provide public tools that can be checked shortly before departure and again on arrival. AirNow’s map shows smoke and PM2.5 conditions, while park-specific NPS pages post live air data, alerts and current conditions. Thursday night is the key timing marker in the Fox Weather forecast. Travelers heading to Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Teton or other western parks can monitor the latest park alerts and air-quality readings through NPS and AirNow as conditions evolve. (foxweather.com) (fire.airnow.gov)