Breathe easy with Summit County’s realtime outdoor air quality monitoring page

Photo: View of Smoke from Park City

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — It’s wildfire season, and with that comes the inconsistent ins and outs of drift smoke from new and ongoing fires. The constant flux in air quality, and when people should and should not recreate outdoors, can make it hard to know. But, did you know that Summit County Health has its own realtime air quality monitoring page?

The Outdoor Air Quality page on the Summit County website offers up to date readings which refresh every ten minutes. The site also provides helpful links including comparisons to other air quality measures around the state.

So, when is it not a good time to be outside? The Air Quality Index runs from 0 – 500. The higher the number, the more impact it can have on a person’s health. The general standard for all people, no matter their health, is an AQI of 151 and above. However sensitive groups would fall into a lower AQI index category of 101 and above.

According to the American Lung Association, “AQI values at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory but be aware of how you feel and take steps to help protect yourself whenever needed.”