The New York Times has a new tool that will help you see the forecast for wildfire smoke in the coming days.
The tool — which you can find here — tracks wildfires across the West. Right now, it shows three major fires in California, including:
- Monument Fire.
- Dixie Fire.
- Caldor Fire.
A single button on the tool shows the smoke forecast for the rest of the day. One click shows that Utah will see a heavy amount of smoke floating over it for the day.
- The same situation occurs in Nevada and California. Smoke is lingering in the air in the Western states for the rest of Friday.
- You can test out the tool every day to see how the smoke forecast will change in Utah.
As the Deseret News reported, the West Coast wildfire smoke has made the air bad in Utah over the summer. Indeed, Utah air quality regulators and the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City said the air people are breathing right now is extremely unhealthy because of the wildfire smoke.
- The air is reportedly bad for your lungs, causing potential damage.
- A new Stanford University study published Aug. 14 suggested that wildfire smoke can also lead to an increased risk of preterm birth.