Today, August 26th, was the first day of school for most Missoula kids and according to Missoula County School District One Communication Director Hatton Littman, the day was pretty normal. Except for all the lion and bear reports.
"We have had reports starting on Monday of this week and continuing into today of bears and mountain lion activity in neighborhoods around some of our schools, but
Air quality in much of Missoula is abysmal, but air quality specialist Kristin Martin with the Department of Environmental Quality says Libby has suffered the worst.
Many Missoulians and folks residing in western Montana are thanking Mother Nature this morning for some much needed precipitation. The rain and wind led to clear skies, greeting residents with fresh air and a little less smoke.
Fires in Idaho and as far away as Oregon, California and Canada are bringing smoke into the Missoula valley and reducing air quality to near unhealthy levels for sensitive groups.
Even though smoke from various fires burning in Western Montana, Idaho and Washington poured into the Missoula valley over the weekend, authorities with the Missoula County Health Department said conditions were not hazardous.
With wildfires burning both east and west of Missoula, it was inevitable that smoke would settle in the valley. Early Thursday morning the smoke veiled the mountains, but began to dissipate as the weather warmed.