Trending: #COWX Tweeters Celebrate Front Range View That's Been Missing For Weeks
DENVER (CBS4) - If you're a regular user of Twitter and follow the Colorado Weather hashtag then you probably noticed how many people were tweeting the same thoughts on Tuesday. One tweeter even wrote "insert angelic harmony here" on their tweet.
The excitement was over the clear view of the Front Range mountains, which has been obscured by poor air quality for weeks. The bad air of late is due to a tremendous amount of smoke in the atmosphere from western wildfires combined with low-level pollution.
Problems with summertime visibility and air quality feel like the new normal in Colorado, especially along the busy Interstate 25 urban corridor between Colorado Springs, Denver and Fort Collins. Although air quality records for Denver and the Front Range only date back to 2011, the region has recorded more air quality alerts for ozone this year than ever before.
The current jet stream pattern is keeping the thick wildfire smoke locked up in areas northwest of Colorado. Air quality alerts for dangerous levels of smoke were in effect on Tuesday for parts of eastern Idaho, western Wyoming and southern Oregon.
A cold front is expected to move into Colorado by Thursday with a flow of wind behind it from the north and northwest. That could increase the levels of smoke so enjoy the views while we have them just in case it gets bad again.
