Very unhealthy air is blowing into Montana from Canada, with Dense Smoke Advisories being issued on Wednesday for several counties in northeast Montana.
After a weekend of decent blue skies, towns in western Montana are back to 'Very Unhealthy" air quality index numbers of 200+. The skies are hazy and you can taste the smoke in the air.
Currently, China and India have cleaner air than we do. Wildfire smoke got serious this weekend and Montana has some of the worst air quality on the entire planet right now when it comes to particulate matter. It's unhealthy in dozens of locations across the state.
We've become used to the fire season Air Quality Alerts during the summer across Montana. The terrible wildfires of the last few seasons have made them a common occurrence. However, parts of Montana are susceptible to Air Stagnation Alerts during the WINTER, stemming mostly from wood-burning stove usage.
It's quite obvious that Montana's air quality is currently terrible. Dozens of counties with high particulate levels are now under an Air Quality Alert until further notice.
You can see it with your own eyes. The air quality around the state continues to be very poor and hazardous in certain counties. Montana wildfires continue to burn with no significant rain in sight.
The valleys of Montana are susceptible to temperature inversions which we're experiencing now. These inversions essentially trap particulates in the valleys, causing poor air quality.
This morning was like waking up on another planet with a distant orange moon rising. The Air Quality Alert continues today for Gallatin County.....and it's really disgusting out there.