An air stagnation advisory has been issued. What it means and what to look for.
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POCATELLO — An air stagnation advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service in Pocatello and is expected to last until Thursday.
According to NWS, an air stagnation advisory is when major buildups of air pollution, smoke, dust or industrial gases are expected near the ground for a time.
“When we get stagnant air like this, we get patches of dense fog. We had it again this morning (Tuesday) in the exact same place where they had the 30-car pileup. Fortunately, it was earlier in the day, so I don’t think there were as many people out on the road,” said Jack Messick, an NWS meteorologist in Pocatello.
The advisory is in effect until noon on Thursday in the entire Snake River Plain, including places like Blackfoot, Shelley, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Montpelier, Ashton, Driggs and American Falls.
“Air stagnation sort of prepares people to start monitoring particulate matter for air becoming an air quality issue,” Messick said.
He added that an advisory can help people prepare to make sure their filtration systems indoors are good to go.
The advisory suggests people reduce or eliminate activities that contribute to air pollution, including outdoor burning, reducing vehicle trips and vehicle idling as much as possible.
If air quality were to deteriorate, an air quality advisory would be issued. Click here to check the latest air quality. As of Tuesday morning, it’s listed as “good” in Idaho Falls.
An expected storm late Thursday is supposed to help clear out the air stagnation, according to Messick.
“In the mountains, it could be as much as 8 inches or 10 inches (of snow), and then down in the valley, it would be somewhere of 1 to 3,” Messick said. “There might be rain in the lower elevations.”
Click here for the latest weather forecast.
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