Air quality across the state has mostly improved
Dec 20, 2023, 9:00 AM
Smog settles over Salt Lake City during an inversion on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. With Utah's wintery temperatures this week, there will also be some inversion patterns and low air quality in the valleys. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Air quality across the state has improved for the most part. However, there are still some spots seeing air in the yellow and orange zone.
According to Kristen Van Dyke of KSL Weather, “Not everybody [is] back to the green,” however, some ventilation has arrived, cleaning the air for parts of the state.
Some areas have temperatures in the 40s this morning. Many of them have green air quality. Specifically, Van Dyke said there is better air quality east of I-15.
Other areas, however, are experiencing lower temperatures and remaining bad air quality. “As you head west, there are still some pockets of bad air where those temperatures are still cold and the air is still trapped,” said Van Dyke. Areas like West Valley City and lower Davis County still have poor air quality.
Additionally, according to Van Dyke, Cache Valley is seeing bad air. Enough ventilation has not yet arrived to clear out the bad air.
“The higher up you go in the valley areas, the better your air is going to be,” said Van Dyke.
Is snow on the way?
According to Van Dyke, a low-pressure system could approach far southern Utah. Coupled with a trough coming from the north, the systems could bring colder air, ventilation of pollution, and snow to much of the state.
“We should get some snow going in our mountains, rain snow mix for valleys,” said Van Dyke.
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