Hazy skies likely as Western wildfire smoke moves East

Skies may look a little more hazy in the following days as smoke from the wildfires out West continue to move East. Some of that smoke was noted across the Rockies and Plains Sunday afternoon, both from in-state wildfires as well as out-of-state wildfires. We should see that shift a little further east by Monday and Tuesday.

High pressure that has been positioned out west will shift across the Plains Monday into Tuesday. This will cause the winds in the jet stream to switch more from west to east, versus northwest to southeast as they have been through the weekend. The west to east flow will allow more of the smoke from the wildfires to move east towards the Midwest and Great Lakes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  

Skies will likely look a little more hazy during the afternoon, with more vivid sunrises and sunsets in the next few days. If there is enough smoke in the atmosphere and it sinks down towards the surface, you may actually be able to smell it. The smoke locally might not get that dense, but you’ll definitely notice more haze during the afternoons. Air Quality Alerts have been issued for states such as Colorado, New Mexico and Utah as smoke from both in-state and out-of-state fires impacts the surrounding air.

Large wildfires are becoming increasingly common as the climate continues to warm and drought conditions worsen. Thunderstorms are also to blame for some of the recent fires in California, with additional storms forecast Sunday into Monday. The outflow from those storms could help spread the fire to surrounding areas, but lightning strikes from those storms may also ignite additional ones. The effects from the smoke of wildfires can have significant impacts on the health of many people. Particulate matter pollution of 2.5 micrometers in diameter or less, such as smoke from wildfires, can be very dangerous as it can easily reach deep down into the lungs, triggering or worsening ongoing health problems. The haze and smoke may not get that bad locally this week, but could impact air quality across Illinois and Wisconsin.

The hazy skies will last through the end of the week as the jet stream pattern is expected to change again following a cold front heading into the weekend.