An end in sight for Utah’s bad air quality
Dec 6, 2024, 2:03 PM
FILE: Smog blankets the Salt Lake Valley during an inversion, as seen from Little Cottonwood Canyon on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Those living along the Wasatch Front in Utah will have to deal with a couple more days of bad air. Fortunately, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Sam Webber told KSL NewsRadio that you can expect a cold front and small storm to hit the Beehive State Sunday night. That system will likely not leave behind a lot of snow. However, you can expect it to clear out a lot of the air pollution in the valleys.
“It’s going to help the air turn over much better,” Webber said. “It’s going to bring an increase in winds, increase the ventilation of the valley areas, and really help clear the pollutants.”
Webber said the storm could leave behind two to four inches of snow in the mountains. He also said the valleys could see up to a half inch in spots.
According to Webber, you can expect the inversion to build back in by the middle of next week. But it likely won’t last more than a few days.
By next weekend, high pressure in the region is expected to ease, which will make it harder for inversions to form, said Webber. The unstable pattern will also open the door for storms to pass through the region if Utah is in their path.
