Breathing easier? How rain helps improve air quality in metro Phoenix

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — If you’ve been outside lately, you’ve likely noticed the air feels cleaner and fresher. Last week’s rain significantly helped improve the air quality across Phoenix after a long stretch of dry weather!

“Rain is the best thing for air quality; it wipes out all the airborne pollution, particulates out of the air, it’s pretty intuitive, just thinking that rain just cleans the air out,” said Michael Graves, Air Quality Meteorologist for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Graves monitors the air quality using 15 sites around the Phoenix area. He says that after last Friday’s rain, the air quality improved greatly at every location and lasted for several days. “All the monitors, as we watch the rain, get really low; the dust, smoke levels are all just really low when it’s raining,” he added.

Hikers are enjoying the change in air quality as they gear up for another wet week with two more opportunities for rain. “It definitely feels a lot easier to breathe,” one hiker told our crews after he finished hiking Piestewa Peak. Another hiker said, “It just feel great, the air is clear, you can see a lot better, it’s just amazing.”

Better air quality also helps people who suffer from respiratory issues like asthma or COPD. Graves says, “They are going to be able to spend much more time outside and be outside any time of day.”

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