It’s Now HAZARDOUS To Breathe The Air In A Tiny Idaho Town

Labor Day Weekend in the Treasure Valley is normally absolutely gorgeous. Just crisp enough in the morning to crave a pumpkin spice latte, but hot enough in the afternoon to enjoy floating the river, a trip to Roaring Springs or hanging out by the neighborhood pool one last weekend. 

With highs in the low 90s, it’ll certainly be warm enough to do those things but smoke from wildfires in the area may cause some people to reconsider their original plans. Smoke has poured into the area due to the Wapiti Fire burning two miles southwest of Grandjean and the  Middle Fork Complex (Bull Dog, Nellie and Anderson fires.) All of the fires were sparked by lightning. 

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As a result, the air quality on Friday, August 30 was either unhealthy or very unhealthy for most of the Treasure, Magic and Wood River Valleys. It prompted the cancellation of several high school sports match-ups and the watch party that Boise State was planning on throwing inside Albertsons Stadium for the Broncos first away game against Georgia Southern. 

While poor air quality doesn’t really surprise most Idahoans, what’s a bit surprising is that at press time, Idaho has six cities on the U.S. Air Quality Index’s Top 10 list for the worst air quality in America. 

Twin Falls ranks #7 with an AQI of 151, making it unhealthy for sensitive groups. Weiser and Ketchum rank #5 and #6, respectively. Both cities have an AQI that makes the air unhealthy for everyone. Idaho City and Boise rank #2 and #4, respectively. They have an AQI high enough to be classified as very unhealthy. 

But one Idaho city has the worst air quality in the nation. Garden Valley’s AQI got high enough on August 30 to put it in the maroon “hazardous” category. That means that EVERYONE should stay indoors and reduce their activity levels.