Residential burning restrictions in effect this morning caused by pollution and low visibility, will not be renewed for tonight.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, in charge of monitoring air quality in the state, issued an action day notice for visibility yesterday afternoon lasting through 4 p.m.
“Light southerly winds should keep pollutant levels low,” according to the new forecast.
Jim Kalina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service explained that the pollution seen in the city this morning is caused by an inversion, a common occurrence during stable and dry winter weather.
Pollution is caught in cold air at the surface that is trapped by warmer air that has moved down from the mountains.
“With time it usually gets better,” Kalina said. “Normally inversions are worst in the morning. Since there’s no wind, it is sticking around.”
The residential burning restrictions affect any household in the seven-county metro area, below 7,000 feet. There is an exception for those who use a stove or fireplace as a main source of heat, or for those who use environmentally-friendly approved stoves or masonry heaters.
Despite the inversion and poor visibility, air quality is currently in good condition according to current reports.
