Summer Smoke

There are lots of fires burning in the West, especially in northern Idaho, as indicated in the "Active Fire" map and satellite image.

The smoke sure made for some orange sun sets the last week.

Fortunately, in Utah, the smoke is starting to clear out. You can see the PM 2.5 concentrations have returned to the healthy levels.

This is due to a shift in our weather pattern. Last Tuesday the upper level winds were blowing from the northwest transporting the smoke from the fires to Utah.

Last night you can see the upper level flow has shifted to a more southwest flow, bringing in smoke-free air and a little rain, as I saw yesterday when I got to campus.