Hamilton, Montana — Wildfire Smoke Forecast

Live PM2.5 and 48-hour smoke-model outlook — updated Aug 06, 10:44AM MDT

Current air quality

27 µg/m³ measured at Hamilton, 0 km away, at Aug 06, 10:00AM. The NowCast smoke average is 31 µg/m³ — Moderate on the US EPA scale.

Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged outdoor exertion.

Forecasts show smoke increasing, peaking near 3239 µg/m³ within the next 48 hours.

Smoke is expected to arrive around Aug 06, 12:00PM.

Last 24 hours observed & next 48 hours forecast

6003000now-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 · Very Unhealthy · Hazardous

Next 24 hours — model comparison

Next 6 hours
29–39 µg/m³
Peak around Aug 06, 4:00PM
Next 12 hours
29–39 µg/m³
Peak around Aug 06, 4:00PM
Next 24 hours
39–>500 µg/m³
Peak around Aug 07, 7:00AM
Next 48 hours
65–>500 µg/m³
Peak around Aug 08, 1:00AM
ModelPeak PM2.5Peak around
HRRR-Smoke (NOAA, 3 km)54 µg/m³Aug 06, 2:00PM
FireWork (ECCC)39 µg/m³Aug 06, 4:00PM
FireSmoke (UBC BlueSky)1457 µg/m³Aug 07, 7:00AM

Model values are for the ~10 km grid cell nearest Hamilton; 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+12:00PM6:00PM12:00AMµg/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

Nearest monitoring stations

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