What’s up with the milky skies? Smoke all the way from the West has moved into Alabama skies

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Do the skies look a little off this afternoon? Did the sunrise appear more vibrantly orange than normal this morning? No, you’re not going crazy; you’re noticing the effects of smoke from the wildfires out West!

Yes, you heard that right. Smoke has traveled all the way from California and Colorado to parts of the Southeast and Deep South, including most of Alabama!

Wildfire smoke from the West has arrived across the Southeast.(WSFA 12 News/NOAA)

So...how in the world does smoke travel so far?

The smoke from wildfires rises into the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere thanks to the intense heat surrounding the fires. Once the smoke reaches a certain height, it can get “picked up” by the winds thousands of feet off the ground.

These winds -- referred to as the mid-level jet stream and upper-level jet stream -- will then carry the smoke plume in whichever direction they are blowing. Today’s particular bout of smoke traveled east-southeast to get to Alabama because that’s the direction the winds aloft have been blowing the last couple of days.

The wildfire smoke in the skies over Alabama has traveled 1,000-2,000 miles!(WSFA 12 News)

This dispersal of wildfire smoke happens more than you may think across the Plains, Midwest and Mississippi Valley. It just doesn’t often blanket the skies here in Alabama because of how far away we are from where wildfires typically burn out West.

Occasionally, though, the smoke is dense enough and the winds are strong enough to send a hazy, milky plume all the way to Central Alabama.

Skies are less blue than normal courtesy of the wildfire smoke overhead.(WSFA 12 News)

Fortunately it’s typically never dense enough or low enough in the atmosphere to cause any sort of health concerns like what happens in the West. By the time any sort of wildfire smoke reaches the Deep South, it is a thin layer way up in the sky. What the smoke can do here is lead to a grayish and hazy sky even if the sun is shining.

Our sunrises and sunsets are also ‘fiery’ and vibrant with deep oranges and reds dominating the sky. This is courtesy of the smoke particles filtering out shorter wavelengths of light, leaving behind mostly oranges and reds.

Smoke from Western U.S. wildfires can travel well over 1,000 miles in the upper levels of the... — Smoke from Western U.S. wildfires can travel well over 1,000 miles in the upper levels of the atmosphere.(WSFA 12 News)

So be sure to look up over the next day or so to check out a potentially breathtaking sunrise or sunset because the smoke will likely be gone by the end of the week.