SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Utahns stepping outside will notice the familiar Wasatch Front mountains are missing from the skyline. They have instead been replaced by a thick cloud of smoke.
Utah’s air has reached “moderate” levels, which could cause problems for those with existing heart issues or any respiratory ailments, according to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. However, IQAir, an air-quality moderating service, reports Salt Lake City has the fifth worst air in the world and is unhealthy for sensitive groups as of Wednesday afternoon.
“The smoke is bringing heavy impacts to air quality with elevated particulate matter taking us into the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ category along the Wasatch Front. Tooele County is seeing poor air quality with local fires adding to upper-level smoke,” explained Alana Brophy, ABC4 chief meteorologist. “Thick smoke is impacting visibility as well, and you can expect that to be an issue for the remainder of today and Thursday.”
So, where is the smoke coming from?
Ahead of an incoming cold front, Utah has a strong southwesterly wind blowing throughout the state. ABC4’s 4Warn Weather Team said these winds are about 25 miles per hour with gusts reaching as high as 45 miles per hour.
This strong southwestern flow is dragging dense wildfire smoke from wildfires in southern California into the state.
KTLA, ABC4’s sister station in southern California, reports the Golden State is ablaze with three major wildfires.
The San Bernardino Line Fire spread to nearly 35,000 acres as of Wednesday morning with only 14% containment. The Bridge Fire had burned nearly 48,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles and San Bernardino with no containment. Finally, the Airport Fire sparked in Trabuco Canyon in Orange County on Monday afternoon. As of Wednesday morning, it has burned over 22,000 acres with no containment.
Several Utah fires have also been contributing to the smoke. Lightning from an overnight storm sparked multiple fires near Farmington Canyon and the Davis-Morgan County line. These fires are fairly small in comparison, spreading less than 10 acres as of the latest update on Wednesday afternoon.
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Another lightning-caused fire sparked evacuations and a plume of smoke near Tooele County. Dubbed the South Willow Fire, flames have spread over 40 acres of private land as of the latest update.
Finally, over 350 acres have burned in Box Elder County just west of Promontory Point. Utah Fire Info said structures are being threatened by the flames and a few homes east of Promontory have been evacuated. Details on this fire are limited, but officials do believe it was human-caused.
When will the smoke clear out?
Chief Meteorologist Alana Brophy said it can be a little hard to predict when exactly Utah’s smoke will clear out, but you can expect it to stick around at least for the next few days. Utahns can expect the smoke to start decreasing with cleaner air coming in heading into Friday.
“You can expect smoke to decrease with cleaner air on the horizon heading into Friday,” said Brophy. “Our storm system, or exiting trough, will be lifting out of the region and bring a more westerly flow Friday, which should start to ease some of the smoke and improve air quality by the weekend.”
However, the coming shift in the winds may not provide too much relief for Utah. Brophy explained the winds have the chance to bring more smoke from wildfires that continue to burn in the Pacific Northwest.
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