Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY —The thick haze that lingered over much of the Wasatch Front Wednesday morning didn’t originate in Utah. In fact, meteorologist say some of it came from as far away as the Pacific Northwest.
The haze was actually smoke being blown in from wildfires in Oregon and Washington state, according to Michael Struthwolf, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. But there’s another source, as well.
“Probably the most likely fire that has brought this smoke … is a fire up near Twin Falls (Idaho), which grew 27,000 acres yesterday alone,” Struthwolf said Wednesday.
Wildfires usually burn the hottest in the afternoon, he said, and because the smoke takes a while to get to Utah, people will likely see the worst of it in the mornings. That should continue for the next couple of days, he said.
Luckily, by the time most of that smoke gets here, Struthwolf said there won’t be much of a threat to air quality.
“We shouldn’t be seeing any kind of increase in particulates here in the (Salt Lake) Valley,” he said. “It may be a small increase, but I wouldn’t be concerned with it.”
Smoke from Utah’s own fire season is what brings the potential for real pollution, he said.
Utahns can expect to see smoky skies for the next couple of days.
