MISSOULA - The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued an Air Quality Alert for Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Granite, Mineral, Missoula, Powell, Ravalli, and Sanders counties until 9 a.m. on Friday.

Erin Yost

This 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. The elevated particulate levels are from wildfire smoke.

Here's the air quality as of 2 p.m., Thursday and a time-lapse of the visible satellite across the western US (notice the brownish haze all over western Montana?)

Erin Yost NOAA

When air quality is ‘Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups’ or orange, state and local health officials recommend that people with respiratory or h

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