With fires surrounding us in NW Montana our days and nights are filled with smoke. Smoke so thick you can’t see the mountains, hills or even neighbors houses at times. The kids have been cooped up inside because of air quality alerts because of the smoke like the following…
Air Quality Alert
Air Quality Alert in effect until Sunday, 12:00 PM MDT. Source: U.S. National Weather Service
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has issued an Air
Quality Alert for Deer Lodge, Granite, Flathead, Lake, Lincoln,
Powell, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli, Sanders, and Silver Bow in
effect *UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE*.An Air Quality Alert means that particulates have been trending
upwards and that an exceedance of the 24 hour National Ambient Air
Quality Standard (NAAQS) has occurred or may occur in the near
future.Particulate levels from local and regional wildfires are Unhealthy
to Very Unhealthy across all of western Montana.When air quality levels are Very Unhealthy… the Montana
Department of Health and Human Services recommends that people
with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should
avoid any outdoor activity. Everyone else should avoid prolonged
exertion.When air quality levels are Unhealthy… the Montana Department of
Health and Human Services recommends that people with respiratory or
heart disease, the elderly and children should avoid prolonged
exertion. Everyone else should limit prolonged exertion.For more information… visit the Montana Department of Environmental
Quality at http://www.todaysair.mt.gov.
We all have soar throats, coughs, sneezing, headaches, etc from the smoke. It’s been quite depressing and even claustrophobic in being in this blanket of smoke. While we are not directly in the paths of fire ourselves, there have been several mandatory evacuations in some the towns in NW Montana due to the wildfires getting close to homes and towns.
I have always tried to find the beauty in each day and lately it seems to be hard to find as everything is dried up, dead and smoke filled… but it’s still there if you look for it…
Red sun…
Red Moon…
Pray for rain and the safety of our wildland firefighters (my brother is one!)
Linking up with friends at:
Skywatch Friday
Dancing Aspens Farm Blog 
It must be very hard. I pray that the smoke lifts soon.
Those are some amazing shots, but I’m sorry you are trying to deal with all that smoke. Prayers for all.
WOW!!! Stunning photos! I’m sorry to hear about the dry conditions and wild fires. I hope you get rain soon. (It’s been dry for awhile here on the East Coast, but not to an extreme like you have.)
Beautiful shots. I visited my father in Idaho a few weeks ago and I am just now breathing normally.