Visibility and air quality in the Flathead Valley and elsewhere in Northwest Montana deteriorated Friday as massive fires burning in Washington state continued to pump smoke into Montana.

Satellite imagery showed a thick plume of smoke stretching from Libby and Kalispell down to Seeley Lake and eastward toward Helena and Great Falls. 

The smoke from fires hundreds of miles away has reduced cumulative air quality to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” in the Flathead Valley as well as Libby, Seeley Lake, Missoula, Helena and Great Falls, according to air-quality meteorologist Kristen Martin of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

Most of this smoke is coming from the huge Carlton Complex fires near Pateros, Washington — 379 miles from Kalispell.

The fire has grown to 165,000 acres, is exhibiting extreme fire behavior and spreading rapidly and has destroyed 100 homes.

No major fires are burning in Montana. The largest fire in the state is a 7.5-acre fire near Missoula.

Today, Montana will continue to be downwind of the Washington fires. Faster upper-level winds may help move smoke out of the region but also may intensify fire behavior in Washington and send more smoke to Montana, Martin said in her Friday afternoon smoke report.

Showers and thunderstorms, especially in Northwest Montana, may temporarily clear some of the smoke over the weekend.  

On Sunday, winds are expected to shift throughout the day to the southwest. This may help redirect some of the smoke from Washington up into Canada and away from Montana. 

However, this shift will put Montana downwind of fires burning in Oregon and Idaho, so smoke impacts are likely to continue, Martin said.

Online:

www.deq.mt.gov/FireUpdates/default.mcpx