Faraway Wildfires Could Give NJ A Colorful Sunset Thursday

NEW JERSEY — The Garden State may get a gorgeous sunset Thursday evening — even though it doesn't stem from ideal circumstances. Forecasters expect smoke from major wildfires across the country to create a colorful sky when the sun goes down on the East Coast.

The sun will set at about 7:06 p.m. Thursday in New Jersey.

Satellite imagery from Wednesday afternoon showed milky colors over the Lake Erie area. That's wildfire smoke at high altitudes, according to the National Weather Service.

Winds high in the atmosphere could carry the smoke into the Northeast, according to AccuWeather.

"Smoke from a number of wildfires located in the Northwest is forecast to spread into the Great Lakes region on Wednesday and potentially even into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic by Thursday," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary.

But while New Jersey may get a gorgeous sky, portions of the U.S. continue to burn. The National Interagency Fire Center reported 91 large fires burning 854,587 as of Thursday afternoon. More than 20,000 emergency personnel continue to fight large fires in Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

The Mosquito Fire became California's largest wildfire of the year Wednesday, reaching 63,000 acres about 110 miles northeast of San Francisco. Officials reported progress in preventing flames from reaching key civilian areas, but the weeklong blaze destroyed at least 70 homes and other buildings.

Dried vegetation in an area cooling off from record-breaking heat last week fueled the fire. Scientists say climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades, which will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive, according to the Associated Press.

Despite smoke potentially hitting the Garden State, local air quality remains "good" throughout most of New Jersey, according to environmental officials. Forecasters expect generally clear skies during the sunset.

"Skies are generally clear across the area with the exception of some clouds over southern Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore," the National Weather Service's Mount Holly office said in Thursday's weather discussion. "These should clear out shortly, with clear skies expected for the rest of the day and overnight hours."