Wildfire Smoke from Oregon, California Drifts to East Coast

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Sep 16, 2020 08:16 AM EDT

Wildfire smoke from the West Coast has now drifted as far as the East Coast, giving residents hazy skies and unusual sunrises.

(Photo : by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A Lane County Fire District fire engine makes its way towards a fire in the Siskiyou National Forest August 2, 2002 in Kerby, Oregon.

According to a CBS News report, the West's wildfire smoke has spread all the way to Washington, D.C., taking over East Coast skies on Monday morning.

Mike Valerio of WUSA-TV caught the images of the hazy skies and the bright orange sun.

"NWS (National Weather Service) says this is smoke caught in the jet stream and moving overhead at about 20,000 to 25,000 feet," he said in a tweet on Monday.

The NWS Baltimore-Washington tweeted some satellite imagery of the smoke moving over the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

"This smoke is obscuring the sun, and will keep temperatures a few degrees cooler today than what would be observed if the smoke was not present," the agency said on Tuesday.

AccuWeather meteorologist Matt Benz told USA Today that a line could be drawn from California through Virginia with smoke.

He noted that pretty much every place north of that line had skies tainted with smoke, while areas in the south see less smoke because of air from the Gulf.

"Amazitraveledt wildfire smoke has travelled thousands of miles and finally has reached the East," Benz said. "It looks like clouds, but it is smoke. And we are stuck with this until the weather pattern changes."

Benz noted that a weak cold front from the East wouldn't be enough to clear the air in the coming days.

East is Safe, But West Still Sees Danger

The upside here is smoke on the East Coast is so high that residents do not breathe it. But that's not the case for the West Coast. Fires in there have already taken at least 36 lives and burned an area around the size of New Jersey.

The crisis forced over 220,000 people to flee their homes in California, Oregon, and Washington. Their return to normalcy could take weeks, as conditions in the states are still not safe for them to go back, the American Red Cross said Tuesday.

The National Interagency Fire Center said progress had been made against the fires. So far, six large fires were already contained, including two in Oregon.

Hazes Reported in Canada, Europe

The smokes from the fires have not just reached the far side of the country but also other parts of the world. There were reports of haze as far as Canada and Europe.

Images by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also showed smoke being pulled into a cyclone far out in the Pacific Ocean, reported The Guardian.

Dozens of wildfires have burned down some 4.5 million acres as of Tuesday. They have torn through towns in Oregon while also charring forests in California, Washington, and Idaho.

Ashes and smoke from the fires also resulted in dangerous air quality. California Governor Gavin Newsom compared the air quality to smoking 20 packs of cigarettes.

San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District Director Jonathan Klassen noted that smoke would come to the area no matter which way the wind is blowing.

"The valley is surrounded by fire, so no matter what happens, we will get smoke," he said.