Looking for anybody in the area of Whitefish MT. We are headed that way in September but are concerned about wildfire smoke. My wife has asthma and can't handle much smoke.
Hoping somebody out that way can keep me informed on conditions, wind patterns, ect.

This may help. Winds (and thus smoke) change by the minute.

https://fsapps.nwcg.gov/afm/#

https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/nfn.htm

We live 10 miles from Whitefish. At this very moment, the air is sparkling clean.

This, however, can change in a heartbeat. Stay in touch and I'll be happy to provide current conditions.

Here's a link to some webcams on Big Mountain, just north of Whitefish.

We're praying for the best.

Mike

Never thought about any web cams and we will be staying a condo at the ski resort.
Thanks for the hint!

Found the cams, does look good right now.

Here is another good one.
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

We're about 50 miles S of Whitefish; the smoky haze can come and go 10 times in a day - winds are fickle here.

Here's the state's air quality map:
http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/
It's impossible to predict what it will be like until your visit. Early snows would help a lot, but recent trends indicate that is unlikely.

Here's the Glacier web cams:
https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn...ltimedia/webcams.htm

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MTJbyrd,

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:
We're about 50 miles S of Whitefish; the smoky haze can come and go 10 times in a day - winds are fickle here.

Can I ask where about? I spent my Summer's on Swan Lake.

Usually by mid Sept we get our annual change from the Summer to Fall weather pattern and have a good rain/snow storm, to put out any fires left from the Summer.

Hopefully it's on time this year and You guys should be fine.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:
Never thought about any web cams and we will be staying a condo at the ski resort.
Thanks for the hint!

Found the cams, does look good right now.

Enjoy!!

My forum name is in reference to winter aspects on the Big. I've got about 800 days skiing there

quote:

Originally posted by BRL:

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:
We're about 50 miles S of Whitefish; the smoky haze can come and go 10 times in a day - winds are fickle here.

Can I ask where about? I spent my Summer's on Swan Lake.

West shore of Flathead lake, year round. Love the Swan!

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:

quote:

Originally posted by BRL:

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:
We're about 50 miles S of Whitefish; the smoky haze can come and go 10 times in a day - winds are fickle here.

Can I ask where about? I spent my Summer's on Swan Lake.

West shore of Flathead lake, year round. Love the Swan!

I've done a lot of motorcycle camping off of hwy 83 including the Swan Lake area. Beautiful country for sure.

Jim

^^^ Uncle had horses at his place on Swan. My youth there formed who I am today by going into the Bob Marshall for a week or more at a crack. I consider myself very lucky to have had those experiences.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:
Looking for anybody in the area of Whitefish MT. We are headed that way in September but are concerned about wildfire smoke. My wife has asthma and can't handle much smoke.
Hoping somebody out that way can keep me informed on conditions, wind patterns, ect.

Very clear there now. A cousin of mine lives in Whitefish and he's a smokejumper/firefighter. I'll keep my ears open. It's super dry currently and they just called for no campfires.

also here are some webcams in Whitefish (last one is in Glacier Park ~ 35 miles away).

https://skiwhitefish.com/webcams/

It was hazy between Kalispell/Whitefish the night after you posted this. But like someone else said - it can change day to day. The smoke can roll in from any direction - from many miles away.

http://www.abcfoxmontana.com/v...46816&autostart=true here's my cousin being interviewed about the recent fire danger...

Thanks to all!
We are looking at all means of info and weighing our options.
In the end it will be SWMBO making the decision if we go or not. It's her health so she rules on it.

Based on what she is currently saying I am guessing we won't be able to go.

It can all change her literally in a few hours.

We had weeks and weeks of 90+ to 100 degree weather. Yesterday we didn't hit 70 for a high. Cold front came down from Canada. It was 48 degs here last night.

Don't give up until a week or so out. By Sept we could have some rain, fires OUT and much cooler temps.

Currently, air quality just plan sucks. We have a number of fires burning around us and there is no relief in the forecast. Visibility is about 5 miles.
Mike

For people not used to smokey environments I would recommend just staying away from the northwest right now. There are multiple fires in Wa, Id, Mt, Or and Canada, all contributing to the poor air quality. We broke the record for consecutive days of 90+ degrees and no rain for about a month and a half so it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:
Visibility is about 5 miles.
Mike

You've got 5 miles up there? I've had around 500 yards the past few days. Up to maybe two miles today.

And Jim is right. It is going to get worse. High winds are supposed to be coming tonight and tomorrow and that should make things interesting. We were doing OK until the jet stream shifted and that fire up by Eureka started. Pushed everything right down to us.

Good thing about the smoke though is it's not as hot as it has been. 7+ weeks in the high 90s and low 100s here without a drop of rain. Last night we finally got a little sprinkle and I wasn't quite sure what it was.