West Coast Wildfire Smoke Hits NYC, Causing Weird-Looking Sunsets

The National Weather Service confirmed that the smoke plumes have now traveled all the way across the country.

Fire in the Sky

Smoke from the devastating wildfires that have swept across the West Coast this past week has now reportedly drifted all the way across the United States — manifesting as as a haze and intense, reddish sunsets.

A photo taken by a Futurism staffer last night in Queens shows the setting sun hanging in the sky like an eerie, reddish-orange dot.

Expect Haze

In a tweet highlighted by Gothamist, the National Weather Service confirmed that the unusual conditions are indeed likely caused by smoke that's made its way thousands of miles across the country.

The haze and odd-looking sun don't hold a candle to the apocalyptic skies that the fires caused in the Bay Area last week, but they are a striking reminder that the impact of an environmental crisis can quickly move from one part of the world to another.

Blow Away

Thankfully, according to community weather organization New York Metro Weather, the smoke is tens of thousands of feet high by now, meaning that it's unlikely to affect air quality on the ground level.

According to meteorologists, a cold front will likely push the smoke out of the NYC metro area on Friday.

READ MORE: Smokey Haze From Unprecedented West Coast Fires Sweeps Over NYC Skies [Gothamist]

More on the West Coast fires: Scientists Warn That Fires, Extreme Weather Events Are Getting Worse