When California burns, Utah chokes

Air quality along the Wasatch Front took a dive late Thursday after shifts in water patterns drove smoke shaken from California’s wildfires over northern Utah, clearing mountain views, crowding people inside and creating colorful sunbeams.

‘We are overcome with smoke from a lot of fire. It’s parked here, so we’m smoking, ”said Bo Call, head of the Utah Department of Air Quality Monitoring. “There is not much they can do until a storm comes and blows it out or they can put out the fires in California. It can get worse before it gets better. ”

Forecasts indicate that high concentrations of fine particulate matter, such as PM2.5, will remain at least over the weekend, but these levels will not remain constant as they do during winter inversions. Instead, they will swing wildly up and down, like tide shifting, as wind pushes the smoke around, according to Logan Mitchell, a research professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah.

“The emerging situation is fascinating. “We’re dragging an air through southern Idaho, to Wyoming and Montana, and it’s just stopped and is sitting there, being towed in northern Utah,” Mitchell said. ‘It looks like it’s almost pulsating, air masses swinging around. We are on the edge. It must be less to the north of us. Boise is hammered. ”

In the coastal areas of Northern California, parked hills are in flames with little relief in sight. More than 30 Utah firefighters set out Saturday morning to help fight the blaze, according to the Utah Emergency Division of Management.

Air monitors in Salt Lake, Cache, Tooele, Weber and Davis counties indicated sharp spikes in PM2.5 early Friday, hitting levels far in the unpredictable range. No data were available from Box Elder County.

The Salt Lake City Monitoring Station recorded a peak of 85 micrograms per cubic meter at 3 hours before it ran and threw and hung 40 micrograms, a level considered sensitive to sensitive groups. Meanwhile, the Tooele County monitoring station in Erda shows PM2.5 values ​​climbing above 100 on Friday.

‘There’s a bit of a mix of bar. We do not necessarily believe we will see translations [of federal air quality standards], but a few hours at times can be bad, ”said Call. ‘I compare it to standing by a campfire. Everyone needs to pay attention. ”

Compulsory actions took place Friday in Utah’s stricken counties and are expected to remain in place Sunday. Residents are hampered by open fires and are strongly encouraged to limit driving.

People, especially those with health care, should avoid exercising outdoors.

“Let’s not add to the clutter,” said Jared Mendenhall, spokesman for the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. ‘Today is the day you want to take it easy. We see levels of one hour in the unusual range. The sensitive population today will find it difficult to breathe. Stay inside and keep windows closed. ”