The Wasatch Front’s inversion will persist into the weekend, but improvement in air quality is in sight

The Wasatch Front’s inversion will persist into the weekend, but improvement in air quality is in sight

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah continues to have some of the worst air quality in the U.S. due to the recent Wasatch Front temperature inversion that began shortly after Thanksgiving.

Inversions occur when cold air sinks into the valley and warm air flows over it as high pressure builds in the area. It essentially creates a lid that traps the pollutants in the air, creating a haze that can last for a few days or weeks, as happened at least once in the 1980s.

In this case, air quality across the Wasatch Front ranged from moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups to unhealthy for all on Thursday, according to the KSL Air Quality Network. With an air quality rating of 124, IQAir listed Salt Lake City as of Thursday afternoon as the city with the 22nd worst air quality in the world and the worst in the U.S. among major cities surveyed.

Later in the day, thick fog appeared near the Great Salt Lake, further reducing visibility.

Kaysville topped the list of most polluted cities as of Thursday morning, joining Midvale, South Jordan and Saratoga Springs in the top 10. Factors such as lower altitude, stagnant air, proximity to highways or emission sources and time of day all contribute to pollutant levels and air quality in the city.

According to Los Angeles Magazine, they were knocked out of the IQAir rankings by cities across California that were struggling with their own inversion problems.

However, it appears that relief is on the way for the Wasatch Front.

Poor air quality in Utah is expected to continue at least through the start of this weekend, but KSL meteorologist Devan Masciulli said the core of the high pressure system currently over Utah is drifting southwest, so Saturday or Saturday A cold front may move across the region Sunday.

The cold front is associated with a storm originating from the Pacific Northwest. It’s not expected to produce that much moisture, aside from possible blowing snow, but by the end of the weekend it should be cold enough to improve air quality.

“It will penetrate dry, but it will bring colder air up. So this will actually help lift the cap that we currently have in our atmosphere,” Masciulli said. “The lid will slowly open; We will see the haze dissipate in the valley and that will give us much better air quality by Monday.”

Meteorologists had hoped that another system to the west would have dissipated the inversion on Friday, but Masciulli said the cold front ultimately moved too far north and east to make any difference.

Meanwhile, hopes are growing that more storms are heading to Utah. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center says above-average humidity is more likely in Utah between Dec. 13 and Dec. 19, in an updated forecast released Thursday.

An active pattern would prevent future inversions from lasting long, which would have a positive impact on air quality in the region.

Complete seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online at the KSL Weather Center.

Contributor: Shelby Lofton

The key findings for this article were generated using large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article itself is written entirely by people.

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