Westerly winds carried wildfire smoke into Southwest Colorado and the Four Corners on Wednesday, reducing visibility and even lowering temperatures across the region, according to the National Weather Service.
The smoke was being blown in from the 61,000-acre Cottonwood Fire in southwest Utah, which was burning on the Beaver-Plute county line northeast of Cedar City, said Matthew Aleksa, meteorologist with the NWS in Grand Junction.
“It’s a pretty large fire, so all that smoke is being transported this way, and that’s why we’re seeing the hazy skies,” Aleksa said.
Satellite imaging shows Durango on the southern edge of the plume, he said.
The smoke was expected to dissipate Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning as thunderstorms moved through the region, Aleksa said.
Winds were expected to shift to a more southwesterly flow on Friday and Saturday, which will further reduce the level of smoke in the Four Corners, he said.
“We do have potential for widespread critical fire weather conditions returning for Friday and Saturday, so we’ll be pretty windy,” Aleksa said, “and that’s just something to be aware of as we head into the later half of the week and into the weekend.”
The Cottonwood Fire started Monday and grew rapidly in dry fuels, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The blaze, which was being driven by wind and exhibiting long-range spotting, was zero percent contained as of Wednesday evening.
Smoke from the fire had been visible in Grand Junction for a couple of days, Aleksa said. It was so thick that it is reducing the daily high temperature by a few degrees in some areas, he said.
“The smoke kind of acts as a blanket – like cloud cover preventing the sun from penetrating through and really getting your full heating or mixing that can occur with full sun,” Aleksa said.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air-quality health advisory for 18 Colorado counties, including San Juan, Dolores, Montezuma and La Plata.
The advisory recommended people remain indoors if the smoke becomes thick, especially those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young and older adults. If visibility is less than 5 miles, smoke has reached levels that is considered unhealthy, according to the CDPHE.
The advisory was in effect until 9 a.m. Thursday.
“Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present,” the advisory said. “… Smoke levels could increase or decrease rapidly at times during the advisory period due to the very unstable atmospheric conditions.”
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