Haze over New England coming from wildfire smoke in Western Canada

By Terry Eliasen, WBZ-TV Meteorologist, Executive Weather Producer

Did you notice a bit of a haze in the sky Monday afternoon and evening?  A lot of folks were commenting on the pollen being thick, and indeed it is. However, that was not the primary cause of the brownish haze, instead, it was wildfire smoke from way out in Western Canada!

Most of the smoke is coming from a region north of Edmonton, Canada over 2,000 miles away.

Oddly enough, thanks to a mangled jetstream, the smoke is actually taking a path up towards the Arctic and then back down into eastern Canada and New England!

It is a bit unusual to see wildfire smoke this early in the season. It occurs more frequently in the summer and fall when the wildfire season gets going in earnest out west.

It won't be sticking around long. Looking at the visible satellite, a backdoor cold front is pushing south and really cleaning out the air as it passes.  

This front will pass through southern New England later Monday night, meaning we should wake up to a clean, clear, blue sky Tuesday.