One picture paints a thousand words, so below, here is a photo of the wildfire smoke heading into the western Montana.

Widfire smoke
photo from Missoula Health Department
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Sarah Coefield with the Missoula City-County Health Department says it may be time to buckle in.

Missoula dodged the worst of the region's smoke, but luck started to run out Wednesday afternoon and there are only west winds in the forecast for the next couple days.

Winds finally shifted to the west around 3pm yesterday and conditions have rapidly deteriorated. Smoke from fires burning in Idaho and northern Montana has made its way into the Missoula Valley.

Conditions are currently Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups for short-term exposure and headed toward Unhealthy.

Frenchtown is smokier than Missoula at the moment, and if conditions continue worsening, may hit Unhealthy in the very near future.

Conditions in Hamilton remain Unhealthy, and it's only getting worse.

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