Smell smoke? You can thank Canadian wildfires

Independent Record

A Canadian cold front flowing south into Montana on Tuesday brought more than cooler temperatures.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires settled into central and eastern Montana overnight and will continue through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service forecast office in Great Falls.

Air quality is expected to improve by Friday as wind flow across the state turns to the west.

Over the last 24 hours air quality readings in the Helena area have fluctuated between moderate and unhealthy.

Monitoring stations as of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday reported hazardous air in Malta and Sidney; very unhealthy air in Miles City; unhealthy air in Broadus and the Flathead Valley; unhealthy air for sensitive groups in Bozeman, Dillon, Havre; Seeley Lake and Thompson Falls; and moderate air in Billings, Butte, Cut Bank, Great Falls, Helena, Lewistown, Libby and Sleeping Giant outside Helena.

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The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality alert for Lewis and Clark, Big

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