MISSOULA — Over the next few days, a stable high pressure pattern will continue to strengthen valley inversions.
Air quality has already been flagged as an issue by the National Weather Service, which issued an Air Stagnation Advisory around noon yesterday.
According to the advisory, "stagnation conditions will trap pollutants, leading to deteriorating air quality."
Areas within the advisory include the Kootenai/Cabinet Region, the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains, the Lower Clark Fork Region, the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys, and the Potomac and Seeley Lake Region.
Individuals who are sensitive to worsening air quality should watch levels to see what will impact health.
Poor air quality will continue through at least Wednesday, but the change in the weather that will break the inversions does not arrive until Thursday/Friday.
Long-range forecasts show that an atmospheric river is on the way to Western Montana — bringing back wet weather.
Right now, the models also show above-average temperatures rolling in at the same time as the wet weather, so details are still uncertain on exactly what type of precipitation (rain/snow, snow, etc.) is expected.
Continue to check with KPAX for updates as our systems and overall conditions change by the weekend.
