Wildfires have so far burned more than 4.6 million acres on the West Coast. Now, the smoke from the fires is not just impacting the air quality in California, Washington, and Oregon, it has blown all the way to the East Coast, according to Gizmodo.
“Amazingly, that wildfire smoke has traveled thousands of miles and finally has reached the East,” AccuWeather meteorologist Matt Benz said, according to USA Today. “It looks like clouds, but it is smoke. And we are stuck with this until the weather pattern changes.”
Orange-colored skies are all over the country, and can even be seen in New England as well as parts of Canada and all the way to Europe. However, meteorologists say areas south of St. Louis and Norfolk, Virginia, are seeing less smoke due to air coming up from the Gulf.
The smoke is moving East right now, blowing across the upper western United States to the Great Lakes and toward central New York as well as southwest through Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In some parts of the East Coast, meteorologists say there is enough smoke in the air to block some of the sun’s radiation. The smoke in the air is dangerous and can cause health complications.