SALT LAKE CITY The West is sitting under a thick blanket of smoke.
States including Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada and Montana all have smoky skies this week thanks to dozens of wildfires burning across the West, including some major blazes in Oregon and California.
The main culprits for the smoke in Utah, according to the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, are the Bootleg Fire in Oregon, which has scorched over 153,535 acres since it was sparked on Friday, and the Beckwourth Complex fires in northern California along the Nevada border, which have burned more than 89,748 acres as of Monday morning.
Harmful algal bloom warnings issued for portions of Utah Lake
Utah Department Of Environmental Quality.
File Photo: An algal bloom at Utah Lake
and last updated 2021-07-12 18:12:06-04
UTAH LAKE â The Utah County Health Department has issued a harmful algal bloom (HAB) warning for a few areas of Utah Lake.
The department announced Monday afternoon that American Fork Marina, Lindon Marina, and Lincoln Beach had reached warning levels of algal blooms.
The marinas are still open for personal watercraft access, but the health department warns that water recreation in the Lincoln Beach area should be avoided.
Algae occurs naturally in bodies of water, but large amonts of cyanobacteria can create HABs especially in the summer.
Utah is one of six states experiencing smoky skies this week as dozens of wildfires burn across the Western United states, including Oregon and California.
According to the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City the main “culprits” of the smoke are the Bootleg Fire in Oregon and Beckwourth Complex fires in northern California. Other fires in Idaho may also be contributing to the smoke. Carbon, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, Weber and Box Elder counties air quality were classified unhealthy for sensitive groups by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality Monday morning and will remain classified that way through Wednesday.
Air quality issues remain due to nearby wildfires fox13now.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fox13now.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.