Air quality alert extended again

September 8, 2017

Taken from https://airnow.gov at 12:50 p.m. today.

The air quality alert that had been set to expire at noon today has instead been extended through 10 a.m. Monday as breezes anticipated haven't arrived and sparse scattered showers in the county today have done little or nothing to settle the thick blanket of dense smoke covering much of the northwest. Air quality remains degraded across north Idaho today with most sensors currently in very unhealthy to hazardous category. The poor air quality conditions will likely improve somewhat later this afternoon and tonight. A cold front will pass through the area on Saturday bringing increased winds and a further improvement to the air quality. However, this improvement will likely only be temporary as the winds are expected to weaken on Sunday and Monday, allowing the numerous wildfires around the area to replenish the smoke and lead to possible air quality concerns. Children, the elderly, and individuals with respiratory illnesses are most at risk of serious health effects. If you experience respiratory distress, you should speak with your physician. For additional information on wildland fire smoke impacting Idaho visit the Idaho smoke blog at http://idsmoke.blogspot.com and for current air quality levels in Idaho visit airquality.deq.idaho.gov or airnow.gov.