Coeur d'Alene, Idaho — Wildfire Smoke Forecast

Live PM2.5 and 48-hour smoke-model outlook — updated Aug 06, 9:44AM PDT

Current air quality

38 µg/m³ measured at Nursery Rd., 5 km away, at Aug 06, 9:00AM. The NowCast smoke average is 38 µg/m³ — Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups on the US EPA scale.

Sensitive groups — children, seniors, and people with heart or lung conditions — should reduce prolonged outdoor exertion.

Forecasts show smoke increasing, peaking near 79 µg/m³ within the next 48 hours.

Smoke is likely to persist beyond the next 48 hours.

Last 24 hours observed & next 48 hours forecast

85420now-24 h+24 h+48 hµg/m³

Observed · FireSmoke · FireWork · HRRR

Background bands (US EPA AQI, 24-h basis): Good · Moderate · Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups · Unhealthy

Next 24 hours — model comparison

Next 6 hours
9–20 µg/m³
Peak around Aug 06, 11:00AM
Next 12 hours
9–79 µg/m³
Peak around Aug 06, 10:00PM
Next 24 hours
9–79 µg/m³
Peak around Aug 06, 10:00PM
Next 48 hours
23–79 µg/m³
Peak around Aug 06, 10:00PM
ModelPeak PM2.5Peak around
HRRR-Smoke (NOAA, 3 km)60 µg/m³Aug 06, 2:00PM
FireWork (ECCC)79 µg/m³Aug 06, 10:00PM
FireSmoke (UBC BlueSky)9 µg/m³Aug 06, 2:00PM

Model values are for the ~10 km grid cell nearest Coeur d'Alene; the two models are independent and often disagree — treat the higher value as the cautious planning number.

Observations and NowCast are total PM2.5 — wildfire smoke plus every other source — as regulatory monitors measure it, and FireWork models that same total. FireSmoke is a smoke-dispersion model: it estimates the wildfire contribution only, so it reads lower than the monitors whenever other sources matter. The map's optional plume layer is likewise fires-only.

Sky vs. ground

Smoke is at the surface and overhead.

Sky right now
Noticeable haze

At the ground · Overhead (if mixed down)

0125250+11:00AM5:00PM11:00PMµg/m³

Overhead smoke dims the sun but is not what you breathe. The dashed line shows the surface level if the whole column mixed through the boundary layer — a worst case, not a forecast · Data: NOAA HRRR-Smoke

Forecast track record here

1-day record · 20 nearby monitors

ModelTypical errorTendency
FireWork18.0 µg/m³reads low 14.9
HRRR-Smoke21.9 µg/m³reads low 6.1
FireSmoke25.2 µg/m³reads low 22.6

Mean absolute error and average tendency in µg/m³, from forecasts verified 0–6 hours ahead at monitors within 50 km. A short-range record, not a measure of how far ahead a model stays reliable. FireSmoke and HRRR model wildfire smoke only, so they read below the monitors whenever other sources of PM2.5 matter.

Nearest monitoring stations

Open the live chart for Nursery Rd. — hourly observations, NowCast and both model forecasts.