Wildfire Smoke From West Coast Reaches Eastern Seaboard, Creating Hazy Skies
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- If you noticed something hazy in the sky Tuesday morning, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you.
Smoke from the wildfires raging up and down the West Coast has now made it all the way across the country to the East Coast thanks to the jet stream.
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WJZ Meteorologist Tim Williams said the haze could remain in the Baltimore area for a couple of days since there isn't any rain to break it up.
We're all affected. Never think that what happens in one part of the world does not impact the rest. The atmosphere is...
Posted by Tim Williams on Tuesday, September 15, 2020
And those fall-like temperatures you're feeling Tuesday? That too is due to the haze which is blocking the sun's ability to make it warmer.
Wildfires out west are sending so much smoke into the atmosphere, we're getting a thin layer of haze 3,000 miles away. Smoke is riding westerly winds about 20,000 feet up & creating a dim diffused sky. So while there are no clouds, the sun can't help warm us up. High near 72° pic.twitter.com/TaR1W8yiUY
— Tim Williams WJZ (@TimWilliamsWJZ) September 15, 2020
The National Weather Service In Wakefield, Virginia explained how the smoke traveled to the Maryland area.
Notice that hazy, milky sky this morning? That is a result of smoke (well above our heads) from wildfires across the Western US. Notice that the smoke originates across the west and then gets pulled to the east due to the jet stream aloft. The haziness may increase later today. pic.twitter.com/wBOQHfpcmM
— NWS Wakefield (@NWSWakefieldVA) September 15, 2020
The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, tweeted the smoke also led to some changes to the way the sunset appeared in the sky Monday night.
We're getting some questions and comments about the sunset this evening. Yes, the smoke is responsible for the way the Sun is appearing as it goes down. Feel free to share your pictures! https://t.co/izVRuluKol
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) September 14, 2020
The thin layer of smoke was roughly 30,000 feet in the air Monday evening as it passed above Baltimore. It remained like that Tuesday morning.
The fires burning in California alone have scorched more than 3.2 million acres, a larger area than the state of Connecticut, CBS San Francisco reports.
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This story was originally published on September 14, 2020.