The Backbone fire grew by approximately 8,500 acres yesterday, bringing the total acreage early Monday morning to around 32,700. Smoke yesterday was noted moving toward the east-southeast, with light to moderate impacts to Pine, Strawberry, and at times Payson. Also of note, several other wildfires became very active yesterday, producing large amounts of smoke, including the Rafael Fire (N of Perkinsville) and the Wyrick Fire (north of Heber).

Smoke Synopsis

Today (Monday), smoke from the Backbone Fire is forecast to follow a similar path to what was seen yesterday as it moves toward the east/southeast. Light to moderate smoke impacts are forecast in Pine and Strawberry throughout the day. Light to moderate impacts are also possible throughout the day in Heber-Overgaard and areas in/around Show Low as smoke from the Backbone combines with smoke from the Wyrick Fire. Light with brief periods of moderate smoke impacts are forecast in Payson and the surrounding Rim Country (Star Valley, Kohls Ranch, Whispering Pines, etc) as smoke may get caught below the Mogollon Rim this afternoon. Overnight, smoke is forecast to settle into the Rim Country and drain into Camp Verde, with moderate smoke impacts forecast overnight. Smoke that does settle into the low-lying areas is expected to lift by 10 am Tuesday. While surface winds will remain breezy for tomorrow, winds higher up in the atmosphere are forecast to weaken. This change may result in more significant smoke impacts overnight to the Rim Country and Camp Verde as smoke may not disperse as much throughout the day on Tuesday. It should be noted that Sedona and the sounding areas are seeing moderate to high smoke impacts this morning due to the Rafael Fire. Smoke conditions should improve after 10 am.

If you are in an area with heavy impacts, the suggested actions to take are (if possible): close windows and use fans or alternative cooling devices, turn off swamp coolers, use filtered HVAC systems, and avoid outdoor activities.

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