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Out-Of-State Wildfire Smoke Takes A Crazy Route To Colorado

THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE: Air Quality Unhealthy For Everyone As Wildfire Smoke Gets Worse In Colorado

DENVER (CBS4) - Smoke originating from wildfires on the West Coast will travel across Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska before finally reaching Colorado's Front Range on Wednesday. The out-of-state smoke combined with smoke from in-state fires will create unhealthy air.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory through at least 4 p.m. for Wednesday and it will likely be extended. The advisory covers the urban corridor from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins and includes the entire Denver metro area. Most of the Eastern Plains are included as well.

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According to the CDPHE, if smoke is thick or becomes thick residents are urged to remain indoors. This is especially true for residents with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, very young children as well as older adults. And all residents within the advisory should consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate or heavy smoke is present.

Officially the air in the Denver metro area has been declared "unhealthy for sensitive groups" until at least 4 p.m. Wednesday.

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A shift in the upper level winds over Colorado to the north/northeast will transport the out-of-state smoke into Colorado mainly from eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska where smoke has been significant worse than Colorado in recent days.

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The combination of added smoke and a weak summer cold front will also mean cooler temperatures on Wednesday compared to Tuesday. High temperatures in the Denver metro area will drop about 10 degrees with highs near 80 degrees. That's still slightly above normal for the middle of September.

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Temperatures will rebound into the upper 80s for Thursday and Friday with less smoke expected in the air for the end of the week.

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