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NWS says smoke from N. American wildfires will persist in Colorado through early fall

Posted at 11:59 AM, Aug 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-23 20:12:02-04

DENVER – Forecasters with the National Weather Service said Thursday that Coloradans should expect smoke from North American wildfires to persist in varying degrees through the early fall.

While some of the haze lifted briefly Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, the NWS says Colorado will see wildfire smoke return Thursday afternoon.

PHOTOS: Colorado State researchers fly into wildfire smoke to study impacts

A NWS meteorologist in Boulder said that winds are bringing the smoke from fires burning across the West, Pacific Northwest, and western Canada into Colorado. Satellite imagery shows how the smoke is traveling to the area.

“Smoky conditions of varying densities are expected to persist through early fall,” the NWS Boulder said Thursday.

According to an HRRR model published by the NWS Pueblo Thursday, northwestern and northeastern Colorado will see the worst smoky conditions Thursday night into Friday morning.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the smoke could worsen late Monday into next Tuesday and that “unusually sensitive people” should consider staying inside.

Scientists and researchers from Colorado State University have been leading the WE-CAN smoke sampling team. The group is based in Boise, Idaho and has been flying through western wildfire smoke this summer to study how the smoke's composition and how it impacts air quality. Click here to view pictures of the flights.

For more on the state’s air quality forecast for the next few days, click here.