Colorado Weather: Thick Wildfire Smoke Lowers Air Quality To Unhealthy Statewide

DENVER (CBS4) - A shift in the upper-level wind pattern over Colorado will obscure the sky with a thick blanket of smoke this weekend. It's mostly coming from the Dixie Wildfire in California.

It has prompted an alert for unhealthy air across the entire state of Colorado on Saturday and there's a good chance we'll see additional alerts Sunday. According to the state health department, this is the first statewide alert for bad air in at least a decade.

You should limit your time outdoors as much as possible over the next few days, even if you are healthy and don't suffer from respiratory issues, such as asthma. The elderly and very young are at the highest risk to see problems from the poor air quality.

Our CBS4 Weather Watcher in Ridgway reported the visibility on Saturday morning as low as a mile at times. Experts say if the visibility is under 5 miles due to wildfire smoke, then you should remain inside if at all possible.

It will be a touch cooler in some parts of Colorado today due to a cool front that passed by on Friday. The smoke will also keep things a bit cooler. In Denver, we're expecting a high in the 80s instead of the 90s. It'll still be hot on the far southeast plains where we could see a few quick thunderstorms Saturday afternoon near the Kansas state line.

The extended period is looking hot, dry and smoky for the state with ongoing air quality problems and little in the way of showers or thunderstorms. The fire danger will also be elevated to high at times into next week.