Wildfires in Asia to blame for hazy sunsets

You might have noticed a haze in the skies of Western
Washington, particularly at sunset the last several days.

At first, Cliff Mass, University of Washington Professor of
Atmospheric Sciences, thought it was smoke from massive
wildfires in Colorado circulating in the upper atmosphere
and into our area.

“And then finally, when I did a little investigation, it
became clear it was from Asia. It was from major fires over
Asia and that smoke went all the way across the Pacific into
us,” said Mass.

You can see satellite images and other evidence that
Mass has gathered at his
blog.

The smoke is not a serious health issue. “Most of this is
fairly high up,” said Mass. “It’s a sunset issue.”

Mass predicts says the jet stream will shift in a few days
and the hazy skies will clear as our sunny northwest summer
continues.