What Does a Winter Storm Do to Air Pollution?

With winter storms sweeping across Europe, you might be wondering what the effect is on outdoor air pollution levels. The answer depends on the country, in part due to what kinds of methods are used / which fuels are burned to stay warm. Cheaper fuels like coal and wood pollute the air, and the cold air and lack of wind can keep the pollution from dissipating.

Video: Air Pollution heatmap of Europe, during a storm

The colors represent the levels of pollution, from green being good air quality, yellow being moderate, and red reaching high levels of air pollution.

Watch air pollution rise and move over Europe during the winter storm at the beginning of March. As is clear in the dynamic color changes, major winter storms significantly affect air quality. The storm caused Europe to freeze for over a week, and high air pollution levels can likely be attributed to the increase in the additional need for household heating (burning of coal, wood, and other cheap fuels).