Thousands of lightning strikes occurred Monday storms rolled over our region Monday.
There were at least 23 new fires sparked by these storms including the Mineral Fires seen below.
Thousands lost power as wind gusts over 60 mph hit southwest Idaho Monday evening.
Storms moved through the McCall area and other parts of the West Central Mountains Tuesday but those storms are clearing to the east. A Red Flag Warning is in effect until 9pm for lightning which could result in more fire starts in eastern Valley County.
A huge swirl of smoke is visible on Satellite imagery rotating around an area of low pressure moving east across central Idaho. Thick smoke has moved into may areas with air quality ranging from orange to red.
Temperatures will remain much cooler today with 80s in the valleys but the smoke will obscure what what would have been plenty of sunshine. This smoke will stick with us and could become even worse Tuesday night and Wednesday as winds direct that smoke from central Idaho into the Treasure Valley.
Temperatures will climb back to mid to upper-80s on Wednesday then into to the 90s for Thursday through the weekend. Smoke is likely to be persistent through rest of the week!
