ST. GEORGE — It’s a hazy day in Southern Utah. But it’s not smoke from brush fires or smog.
All it is … is dust in the wind.
Monica Traphagan with the National Weather Service’s Salt Lake City office told St. George News the storm system bringing scattered mountain and valley snow to the northern part of the state is blowing dust from surrounding areas into Southern Utah, especially St. George.
“What you’re seeing is some blowing dust,” Traphagan said. “It’s bringing in dust from drier locations.”
The haze has been noticeable, causing visibility to be down to 10 miles. That has obscured the Pine Valley Mountains from prying eyes in the St. George basin.
While there have been brush fires in Southern California in the past few days and some controlled burns to the north in the Dixie National Forest, the haze is not smoke.
Nor is it an inversion layer that could cause smog or low-lying clouds.
“When you have an inversion, you have high pressure,” Traphagan said. “This is a low-pressure system.”
As for the forecast for the rest of the week, the National Weather Service says the skies are expected to remain clear for the rest of the week in St. George with highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 30s, though the long-term forecast has the chance for some precipitation around Presidents Day.
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