JACKSON, Wyo. — A thick blanket of wildfire smoke has settled over Jackson Hole, sparking an air quality alert for the area.
The warning, in effect from Monday, July 29 at 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, covers swaths of northern and northwest Wyoming, including Yellowstone and Jackson Hole. Elderly people, young children and those with respiratory problems are urged to limit outdoor time and avoid excessive physical exercise.
“Wildfire smoke is made up of a variety of pollutants, including particulate matter and ozone, which can cause respiratory health effects,” the alert from the National Weather Service (NWS) reads.
Smoke is blowing into western Wyoming from wildfires burning in California, Idaho and Oregon, with the Oregon fires as the leading source of the haze, according to Celia Hensley, Meteorologist with NWS’s Riverton office.
Weather models show the smoke in the valley thinning a bit by Tuesday evening as the high pressure system in the area lets up, Hensley says, but some will still linger.
“As long as those fires are burning we’re going to continue to see at least a little bit of smoke,” Hensley told Buckrail.
