Pack Trail Fire smoke casts haze over valley

JACKSON (WNE) — As smoke from the Pack Trail Fire flows into Jackson Hole, firefighters are preemptively working to protect structures in the Gros Ventre River drainage from the 60,000-acre blaze — if it reaches the area.

Meanwhile, in Jackson Hole, smoke from the fire caused the most visible and hazardous air quality issues of the summer. While there is some smoke coming into the valley from fires in Idaho, most of the smoke that blanketed the town of Jackson, Kelly and Grand Teton National Park came from the Pack Trail Fire.

While winds are currently blowing out of the southeast, which typically pushes smoke from eastern fires away from the valley, winds are light, which has allowed a cycle of upslope and downslope winds to take hold, said Noah Myers, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Riverton.

Throughout the day Tuesday, the federal air quality website AirNow.gov declared the air quality “hazardous” or “unhealthy” across the valley, urging people to stay indoors or limit or avoid outdoor physical activity. In Dubois to the east, air quality was “unhealthy,” prompting similar recommendations.

Given the relatively stable weather forecast for the rest of this week, Myers said he expects to keep seeing smoke like Tuesday’s. Light winds won’t help move the smoke out of the valley, and relatively cool temperatures will make for weak upslope winds that could help it move on.

This story was published on October 10, 2024.