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Wildfire smoke leads to stunning sunsets in the DMV

Hazy sky over the DC region caused by ongoing wildfires in western Canada

WASHINGTON — Smoke from raging wildfires have caused our recent reddish sunrises and sunsets in the Washington region. Since early to mid-May nearly 100 wildfires have broken out across the western Canadian provinces.

Much of that smoke has made its way across Canada and into the eastern two-thirds of the United States. 

Smoke from wildfires can cause poor air quality and create visibility issues and problems in places thousands of miles away. That's because smoke contains "tiny particles called aerosols — some of which can degrade air quality," according to NASA.

Hazy skies have been reported by hundreds of AERONET stations across the country during the month of May.

Credit: WUSA 9
Wildfire smoke on May 10th, orange colors correspond to smokier skies

Over a million acres have been burned in Canada because of the current set of fires.

As of May 25, several dozen wildfires were still active across Canada. 

Credit: WUSA 9
Active large wildfires, May 25th, 2023

Wildfires have eased somewhat as temperatures have cooled and some rain has hit parts of fire struck Canada. Still, expect continued haze in our skies for several more days.

Credit: Chris Fukuda
Colorful and eerie. Wildfire smoke 🔥 from Canada 🇨🇦 continues to provide surreal-looking sunrise/sunsets from coast to coast this week.

Send us your sunrise or sunset photos through the Near Me section on our app. You can also text them to us at 202-895-5599.

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