Smoke is likely going to become thicker this afternoon and evening as fires continue to burn in northern Colorado.
The four main fires producing smoke are the Mullen, Cameron Peak, Williams Fork, and Middle Fork fires. The Mullen fire has grown the quickest this week and is going to keep throwing the majority of our smoke into southern Colorado.
The jet stream shows most of the western United States locked under ridge pattern from today through Saturday.
Under this ridge, heat and dry air will build across the western half of the country, giving fires plenty of fuel to grow. With this elevated ridge, wildfire smoke will remain thick in the air as it won't be pushed very far away from the fires.
Smoke is going to be rough this afternoon and evening as it blows down and over the Palmer Divide only to be pushed west into the I-25 corridor. You'll want to limit your time outside later today if you have respiratory issues or are sensitive to smoke pic.twitter.com/qNdkBmdu7W
— Sam Schreier (@SamASchreier) October 7, 2020
Our smoke model shows the increasing smoke we'll see from the afternoon into the overnight hours.
Smoke will push over the Palmer Divide around lunchtime and then get blown west into the I-25 corridor.
The smoke will likely stay visible to the eyes and nose through early Thursday morning before it lifts out and thins through the afternoon.
Air quality is expected to fall through the afternoon and overnight hours as the smoke pushes down from the north.
If you're sensitive to smoke or have respiratory issues, please try to limit your time outside today and tonight. The air quality should be better Thursday afternoon.
