SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – We had quite a wet Wednesday throughout the state with measurable moisture and destructive flooding, and even heading into the overnight, Southern Utah got walloped by a line of strong storms. We have battled plenty of rain, gusty winds, hail, and a cold front bringing a more than 20-degree temperature drop to much of Utah.
So, WHY, is air quality considered “unhealthy” in several counties including Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Tooele, and Iron Counties??
In Utah, we are used to cold fronts clearing the air, but this go around, our front opened the door for additional wildfire smoke to move in. You may remember, we had gusty Southwesterly winds on Tuesday ahead of the front, which pushed some of the thicker plumes of wildfire some to the north.
Our area of low pressure is to the North of Utah and with its counterclockwise flow, wraps that thick smoke back into the state. In addition to that, the cold front dragged that smoke from the west into Utah, so as it crossed the area, we saw thick smoke return.
Air quality impacts will continue for our Thursday, with the chance of unhealthy air lingering. We should see some relief from the smoke into the weekend.
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