Breathe a sigh of relief, Boise. Thunderstorms descend on area, air quality improves
Weather pattern shifts and wildfire-fighting efforts brought improved air quality to Boise to start the week, and meteorologists said thunderstorms that hit areas of the Treasure Valley on Monday could both clear the air more and present fire risks.
Parts of Southwest Idaho were hit by the first round of storms Monday afternoon, with some heavy showers moving toward Meridian, Eagle and Boise in the late afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Wind measurements taken at the Boise Airport reached 43 miles per hour at about 3 p.m., and at 5 p.m. a storm cell rolled through eastern Meridian and western Boise with heavy rain and wind.
David Groenert, a meteorologist with the Boise office of the weather service, predicted thunderstorms to last through sunset in the Treasure Valley and through midnight in the mountains. Winds could reach up to 60 miles with some storms.
“A surge of moisture has come up and over the area,” Groenert told the Idaho Statesman by phone. “The heat, the instability, and then that moisture all combine together to trigger some thunderstorms.”
Those thunderstorms, however, could put the area at risk for wildfires.
“Any kind of lighting strike could bring about a new fire start,” Groenert said.
Once those the Monday storm system passes, Boiseans should expect the area to dry out completely, with temperatures remaining between 90 and 100 for the rest of the week, according to Groenert.
Weather patterns help improve air quality
Last month, Boise saw one of the worst months for air quality in years.
Only three days of July were in the “good” air category, with an air quality index score of 50 or lower. More than half of July saw days in either the orange (“unhealthy for sensitive groups”) or red (“unhealthy”) categories, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
The end of July saw a particularly rough stretch, with air quality remaining in orange and red from July 22 to July 29, according to Michael Toole, Boise airshed coordinator for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.
Toole credited Monday’s weather and shifting winds with helping remove much of that smoke.
“We’ve had good clearing today,” Toole said by phone. “We still have some wildfire smoke here in the area, but the levels have gone down considerably from what we saw early in the weekend and last week.”
Monday’s air quality was in the yellow category, meaning a moderate index below 100, and it’s predicted to stay in yellow through Wednesday, according to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.
Toole said a low-pressure system with wind and cooler temperatures generally redirects smoke and prevents it from hanging over an area for long periods of time.
“The smoke is either aloft higher up — so we can see it and smell it, but it’s not ground level — or kind of getting pushed around us, so not straight through the valley like it has been,” Toole said.
More wildfires are contained as firefighting efforts continue
Successful efforts to contain wildfires have also played a role in improving air quality.
InciWeb, a government website that tracks fires, provided data on where regional blazes stood as of Monday.
- The Durkee Fire has burned 294,690 acres since lightning first sparked it on July 17 about a mile west of Durkee, Oregon. It is now 86% contained.
- The Cow Valley Fire, which started July 11 northwest of Vale, Oregon, had burned 133,490 acres as of Monday morning. The fire is now 99% contained. Officials said it was started by humans and continue to investigate.
The Bench Lake Fire near Stanley burned nearly 2,600 acres and was 90% contained.
- The Wapiti Fire in the Boise National Forest spread to 205 acres with 0% containment.
- The Bull Trout Fire, located 35 miles northeast of Lowman, reached 292 acres and was 41% contained.
The Limepoint Fire near Hells Canyon reached 24,605 acres and sat at 5% containment.
Lightning sparked two fires near Lake Cascade last week, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
- The Boulder Fire, 9 miles southwest of Cascade, grew to 926 acres and remains only 5% contained.
- The Wolf Creek Fire has burned 1137 acres on the west-facing slope of West Mountain in the Payette National Forest and is 4% contained.
