An increase in the concentration of fine particles PM2.5 and PM10 was recorded starting from 15:00 on September 22. In the Uchtepa district, the indicator reached 142 micrograms/m3 (with a norm of 35 micrograms/m3), which is four times higher than the permissible level. In the Yangi Uzbekistan Park, the concentration exceeded the norm by half - 68 micrograms/m3. By 18:30, the PM2.5 level had risen to 150 micrograms/m3, which corresponds to a five-fold increase.

At the same time, visibility at Tashkent International Airport deteriorated: from 5 km by 4 p.m. to 4 km in the evening.

According to forecasters, the cause of the pollution was the interaction of the western prefrontal winds of a cold anticyclone (with a pressure of up to 1028 gPa) with dust flows from desert areas, which contributed to the transfer of aerosols to the central regions of the republic.

Forecast

The cold anticyclone (1025 gPa), which persists in the central regions until September 24, will not be able to completely purify the air of the capital. Moreover, a new increase in PM2.5 levels is possible in the morning and evening hours of September 23-24 due to a temperature inversion.

It is expected that only on the night of September 24, with the advent of new cyclonic processes, rapid air purification in Tashkent will take place.