New York's colorful sunsets this week due to Canadian wildfires thousands of miles away
Raging wildfires in western Canada have forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Alberta, burned through large swaths of forest and prompted air quality warnings in Colorado, Montana, Idaho and South Dakota.
But thousands of miles away in the relatively safe confines of the Catskills, residents got the chance this week to enjoy a few stunning sunrises and sunsets this week courtesy of the fires, more precisely due to the smoke generated from the wildfires.
Satellite maps from the National Weather Service showed prevailing winds carrying the smoke across the upper Midwest, through the Great Lakes region and into Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and much of the rest of the Northeast.
We've had many questions regarding colorful sunsets lately. Smoke from the Canadian Rockies has been passing high above our heads via the jet stream for the past several days leading to some vibrant evenings. The diagram below breaks down the science of this phenomenon. pic.twitter.com/kvdXQYmS8r
— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) May 19, 2023
Smoke traveling across the continent usually ends up in the mid-to-upper atmosphere. As the National Weather Service stated in a Tweet, "When larger particles in the atmosphere such as smoke or dust scatter light, they scatter longer wavelengths better." And what colors have the highest wavelength? Red and orange, causing a hazy to blood red sunrise or sunset.
Related: How homeowners can prepare for severe weather
However, and unfortunately, a front was predicted to clear the air on Wednesday night, noted Ben Noll, meteorologist and author of the BenNollWeather blog.
And: USDA to spend $197 million to prepare for wildfires brought on by climate change
Did you get photos of a spectacular sunrise or sunset? We'd like to see them! Email harts@gannett.com and we'll show them here.
Scott Fallon contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Canadian wildfires produce stunning Westchester NY sunrises, sunsets