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Salt Lake City Tops U.S. Pollution Rankings for Second Day as Inversion Deepens

A temperature inversion under a persistent high-pressure ridge is trapping pollution in the valley.

Overview

  • Real-time IQAir readings placed Salt Lake City at the worst air quality in the U.S. for a second straight day, with AQI readings in the high 80s to mid 90s while ranking far lower globally.
  • Local forecasts call for air quality to reach the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range in Salt Lake County on Tuesday, with Davis and Utah counties expected to follow on Wednesday.
  • Utah's Division of Air Quality ordered no open burning and no use of solid-fuel-burning devices this week, and urged residents to consolidate trips to cut emissions.
  • Meteorologists say a ridge of high pressure is reinforcing the inversion, with a late-week brush-by system possibly breaking it, although forecasters caution that high pressure could return.
  • A new University of Utah-backed app, Flow AQ by Trace AQ, launched with four-day air-quality forecasts using supercomputer modeling and machine learning, available free on iPhone with Android support planned.