Summit County

Drift smoke advisory for Summit County from Pacific Northwest fires

KPCW | By Connor Thomas

Published August 30, 2023 at 1:17 PM MDT

Visibility to the northwest was limited Wednesday as Pacific Northwest fire particulates rolled in with a cold front.

Air quality may be dangerous for sensitive groups in the Wasatch Back near Parleys Canyon, Provo Canyon and the lower Weber Canyon near Morgan County Wednesday.

A drift smoke advisory has been issued for much of the Wasatch Back.

Mountains disappear on the horizon in Salt Lake City Wednesday.

The Wasatch Mountains could be seen, slightly, from a housing development in Murray Wednesday.

The Summit County Health Department’s air quality monitoring shows unhealthy levels of particulate matter in the Salt Lake Valley for some members of the general public too.

According to Summit County’s wildland fire unit, a cold front from the northwest is pushing smoke from fires in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Northern California into Utah. According to the unit’s advisory issued Wednesday, drift smoke could be a health concern until at least late Thursday.
Summit County’s air quality monitors showed the level of fine particulates, PM2.5, began to climb around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Air quality is better in Old Town Park City, eastern Summit County and Wasatch County than it is closer to the canyons leading to the Salt Lake and Utah valleys.

It is still recommended for sensitive groups to limit their time outdoors.

Click here for real-time air quality monitoring.