Inversion could build again this week

SALT LAKE CITY–Air quality has improved along the Wasatch Front, but may areas are still in the moderate range and inversion may rebuild this week, despite the efforts of the latest storm.

KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson said there’s a chance pollution builds back up this week, but there’s a also a chance it won’t.

Johnson said we have two systems expected to clip the Wasatch Front this week; one on Wednesday and one on Saturday.

The first storm will hopefully produce what the last storm didn’t: wind.

“Wind is way more effective because your essentially going to fully ventilate your column of atmosphere from top to bottom…clean sweep,” Johnson explained.

Rain and snow helps some, but it’s limited on what it can do, even during the strongest storms.

“Rain drops and snow flakes are grabbing the air particles and pulling them out of the air,” Johnson said. “If you don’t have a dense rain, you’re not grabbing much.”

Three things can clear out polluted air: wind and or cold air at high elevations, or precipitation.

Wednesday’s brush-by will hopefully bring more wind, which could help keep the inversion at bay until Saturday.

Related reading:

• Is illness or poor air quality causing that cough?

• Relief from inversion and poor air quality may be in Utah’s near future

Follow @AdamSmallKSL