Air stagnation advisory, a fancy way to say ‘inversion,’ issued Friday

SALT LAKE CITY — Northern Utah residents woke up Friday morning to another round of smog and fog. On top of this, the National Weather Service issued an “air stagnation advisory.”

The fog was especially pronounced in low-lying areas near the Great Salt Lake. At Salt Lake City International Airport, the combination of pollution and fog created low visibility conditions. These conditions persisted until the sun fully rose. 

But what is an “air stagnation advisory?” KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson described it as a fancy way to say “inversion.” 

“Anything and everything pumped into the lower levels, including car exhaust, refineries etcetera, gets stuck in the lower levels and starts to accumulate and really create bad air quality,” he said. 

He expected the next best chance for winds or precipitation to help clean up the air to come Sunday night into Monday morning.

The NWS has advised drivers to avoid all unnecessary travel and to slow down when traveling through low-visibility.

With dense fog impacting the Wasatch Front, small actions can make a big impact. Slow down if you encounter dense fog during your Friday AM commute #utwx pic.twitter.com/GXfXuOIRoD

— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) December 6, 2024

Becky Bruce is the news director for KSL NewsRadio.

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