Air quality improving on Wasatch Front
Aug 28, 2018, 8:51 AM
This map of smoke over the US from NOAA.gov indicates improved air quality for Utah.
Good air quality is represented by green dots
SALT LAKE CITY — Cooler weather arrives on the Wasatch Front, along with improved air quality courtesy of high-level winds that are pushing some of the smoke from western wildfires out of the region.
KSL Meteorologist Grant Weyman says it’s good news.
“Our air quality network, exclusive to KSL, is showing a lot of ‘green’ dots out there,” Weyman says. “We’ll expect it to stay that way for the next couple of days.”
On the map, green dots indicate an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading under 50, indicating good conditions. Yellow dots indicate an AQI between 51 and 100, considered moderate. Orange dots indicate readings between 101 and 150, which is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, and red dots indicate an AQI above 151, which is considered unhealthy for everyone.
The Environmental Protection Agency says certain groups can be more adversely affected by smoke in the air from wildfires than others. They include the elderly, children, people with underlying heart or lung disease, people with diabetes, and pregnant women.
