Smoke from wildfires in the Pacific Northwest settled across the Wasatch Front on Wednesday and could stick around through at least Thursday night.
The smoke was concentrated throughout northwestern Utah at about 7 a.m. Wednesday, and was forecast to move throughout the northern half of the state Wednesday afternoon. The smoke will begin to dissipate around 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The haze will likely linger across the Wasatch Front on Thursday — and possibly move as far south as Millard County — but should move out of Utah by Thursday night, Salt Lake City meteorologist Sam Webber said. He estimated that by end of the day Thursday, only a few northern areas of the state will still see smoke.
“We do have a storm system coming in this weekend that’s going to clear it out,” Webber added.
After this weekend’s expected storms, more smoke may come through Utah early next week depending on fire behavior in Oregon and California, Webber said.
Utah currently has three active wildfires, according to the Department of Natural Resources: the Thompson Ridge Fire in Fishlake National Forest; the Moore Fire near Levan, UT; and the Light House Canyon Fire in Emery County. The Thompson Ridge Fire — the state’s largest wildfire this year — started on Aug. 4, and is measured at about 7,253 acres at 85% containment.
The Moore Fire ignited on Aug. 15, and is measured at about 44 acres with 0% containment. The Light House Canyon Fire started on Aug. 16, and is measured at about 87 acres at 0% containment.
“These fires are not really hurting anything right this second,” said Kayli Guild with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. “They’re very obsolete in a sense – away from everything.”
Smoke from the Emery County blaze may be seen throughout eastern Utah as crews work to slow the fire’s spread, fire officials said Wednesday. Officials also urged sensitive individuals to limit their time outside as the smoke moves through the state.
