— NOAA
For the past several days the media has been showing images of a smoke plume reaching from wildfires in Saskatchewan across the Midwest and farther south. From the ground the smoke appears as a haze high in the sky and may filter the sun. Sunrises and sunsets in the areas where there is smoke in the atmosphere have been more colorful than usual.
While such events occur fairly frequently, this one has garnered additional attention because of the vast area that is reporting at least some smoke. It is expected the area will shift to the east as the weather pattern changes over the holiday weekend.
Here’s what the sky looked like in central Illinois at about 11AM on Wednesday, July 1, 2015. The darker parts of the image are clouds, put the sun is seen filtered in part by the smokey haze.
At the current time most of the smoke is high in the atmosphere and is not likely to be able to be smelled nor is it a particular threat to those with breathing difficulties. However, the situation is different in parts of Alaska where a Dense Smoke Advisory has been issued near some wildfires. There people have been cautioned not only about limited visibility but the possibility of health impacts.
Nearly all of the wildfires have been caused by lightning.
As we approach the July 4th holiday, please keep those fireworks under control and don’t contribute to any new wildfires.
