DENVER — Once again, officials warn that drifting wildfire smoke from Canada will likely impact Colorado air quality on Monday. An ozone action day alert was put in place until 4 p.m.
It's due to smoke from Canadian wildfires that is mixing with the smoke from regional fires in the Pacific Northwest and drifting into Colorado, thanks to winds from the north. The heaviest smoke on Monday is expected across the eastern half of the state.
"This smoke could be noticeable early in the day across the north-central mountains of Colorado, including Rocky Mountain National Park, with the smoke increasing across lower elevation locations during the late morning and afternoon hours," the Colorado Smoke Blog said.
Zach Hiris, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the hazy skies could linger for a bit because of current weather conditions.
“Generally, when we're getting these kind of hot days with light winds, there really isn’t any way to usher out some of those pollutants. That's when we tend to see those air quality alert days," Hiris said.
The Denver metro area was under an Ozone Action Day Alert for air quality issues on Saturday, but Sunday's cooler temperatures is keeping ozone concentrations in the good to moderate range. Those sensitive to smoke or suffering from lung or heat ailments may want to limit time outside on Monday.
Wildfire smoke from our northern neighbors darkened Colorado’s skies several times last year, prompting multiple air quality alerts throughout the summer. However, Hiris said the NWS is not expecting a significant amount from this incursion.
“In terms of air quality from the smoke itself, it doesn't look like there's going to be anything too significant over the next few days,” he said.
Fires in the Pacific Northwest are also impacting the state's air quality. Smoke from those fires is increasing particle pollution for much of the state over the weekend.
But the hazy skies along the Front Range aren't going away anytime soon. Experts say there's more ozone in the air than usual this summer. The worst year for ozone in the Front Range was 2021 due to wildfires. This year, however, is looking just as bad for no discernible reason.
For the past two weeks, NOAA researchers have been flying over high-pollution areas across the Front Range to understand better what may be contributing to the increased particle pollution in the region.
Colorado has taken steps to mitigate ozone pollution, including switching over to a special blend of gasoline this summer to reduce emissions.
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