Here are some images: I appreciate any explanation how phenomenon like this can occur and why. Air quality should be considered unhealthy in areas directly impacted by smoke, according to the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District. 5545 Highway 93 They actually updated their original article and now say there is smoke involved. Wildfire smoke from Colorado has also been reflecting the light which gives off the orange tones. This is not smoke from western wildfires. "Totally weird day in the Deep South!" One of my friends on snapchat posted that it's apparently from a high pressure system or something and could indicate bigger storms to come. During wintry precipitation, ice crystal reflect the light in a similar way which gives off a gray hue. As of Thursday, the federal air quality index labeled much of Ventura County at good or moderate levels. Long wavelengths are red, orange and yellow, he said. Sunlight is getting through the top layer, refracting off the snowflakes flying around in there and giving us this orange (spooky) color we see at the Earth's surface. From a yellow or orange tint in the sky to cooler temperatures, thick smoke from fires raging in California has reached Ventura County. San Francisco Bay Area woke to an orange-tinged sky, Wildfires continue and the air quality suffers, Smoke prompts air quality alert for Ventura County, labeled much of Ventura County at good or moderate levels, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Justin Esterly is our Daybreak meteorologist. The forecast on Thursday called for "thick smoky skies" to prevail across the region. All rights reserved. The story was much different, however, in a lot of other places around the state. Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE Show More Show Less 2 of 3 A yellow sky over San Francisco on September 8, 2020. "It reminds me of the images the JPL rovers take of Mars," he said of the orange, smoke-filled skies. Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. © 2020 www.vcstar.com. To check the air quality index in your area, go to https://www.airnow.gov/. For more information about the local forecast and tips, go to http://www.vcapcd.org/Forecast.aspx. The smoke also acts a bit like cloud cover, shielding areas from some of the daytime heat. Today, I was coming back from music school, and it was raining heavily. In CA: Wildfires continue and the air quality suffers. But after all 2020 has given, I'll believe pert near anything is possible. Much of the smoke here came from fires burning in Northern and Central California and it was quite high in the atmosphere. Laki Tisopulos, the county's air pollution control officer, called it a precautionary measure and said it would remain in effect through Sunday. The orange tint to the sky is the result of several layers of clouds in the atmosphere right now. News Tips: (715)-831-1824 This is from WJFW Newswatch 12's facebook: This is so 2020! According to the National Weather Service, the smoke is coming from Colorado fires, but none of it will reach the ground. A view from a window in Oakland Tuesday morning showed a sky with an eerie yellow glow. Eau Claire, WI 54701 The glow is an atmospheric effect, said William Patzert, a retired climatologist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. So why is the sky orange/yellow-ish? The orange tint to the sky is the result of several layers of clouds in the atmosphere right now. It’s likely lows will be in the teens early next week.…, WQOW |, Takeout Guide: Find food to go in our area, 91st Assembly District candidates debate on voting, race and COVID. Much like during a thunderstorm in the summer, sunlight is reflecting off of hail in the storm which gives the sky a green-ish hue. And, it also led to the odd pale yellow or orange tint, he said. SALEM, Ore. – As wildfires exploded and smoke choked communities across the western U.S. this week, residents in Oregon watched the sky change from a deep orange-red on Tuesday to yellow … During wintry precipitation like what we're seeing across the area early Thursday, the sky often changes color. This is not smoke from western wildfires. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260. But when there are a lot of larger particles in the atmosphere, they interact with the longer wavelengths of red and orange. Ventura County, dozens of miles from any major fire, had its own tinge of yellows and oranges by Thursday. A clear night sky offers an ever-changing display of fascinating objects to see — stars, constellations, and bright planets, often the moon, and sometimes special events like meteor showers. All say I keep thinking of.......the TV series Van Helsing. California wildfires: Smoke prompts air quality alert for Ventura County. "The reason that Mars looks red is there are a lot of dust particles in the atmosphere.". That thick smoke may keep our temperatures cooler than expected, said David Sweet, meteorologist in the National Weather Service's Oxnard office. But the entire West Coast was socked in by smoke as blazes burned from Oregon through Southern California. Most of the smoke had remained higher in the atmosphere around the county, the agency said. or news@wqow.com, All content © 2000 - 2020, WQOW Television, Inc. All rights reserved. Shorter wavelengths are green and blue. So on a clear day, the sky looks blue, because the smaller molecules tend to scatter the shorter wavelengths, according to Patzert. Press J to jump to the feed. October 22, 2020 10:28 am Justin Esterly Top Stories Credit: Kara Birdwell During wintry precipitation like what we're seeing across the area early Thursday, the sky often changes color. The lighting effects that came through all my windows were spectacular. I'm a sci fi nerd. The agency issued a wildfire smoke alert late Thursday afternoon. This is from WJFW Newswatch 12's facebook: This is so 2020! The San Francisco Bay Area woke to an orange-tinged sky Wednesday morning and air quality warnings were issued throughout the Pacific Northwest. In Southern California, the El Dorado Fire burning in the San Bernardino Mountains and the Bobcat Fire burning north of Azusa in the Angeles National Forest, created substantial amounts of smoke and unhealthy air in parts of Los Angeles County Thursday. The combination of cloudy skies and a yellow-tinged smokey haze on New Year's Day made for darker than usual conditions. But smoke had started to mix down toward the surface in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley and likely would do the same in other areas. An hour after I came back, the sun started coming out from one side, and the sky wa very brighr yellow. From a yellow or orange tint in the sky to cooler temperatures, thick smoke from fires raging in California has reached Ventura County. Station: (715) 835-1881 The atmosphere scatters sunlight, which is made up of different wavelengths. October 22, 2020 1:03 pm Sierra Rehm News, Top Stories WAUSAU, Wis. (WAOW) —Looking out the window this morning was quite the sight this morning, with an eerie yellowish or orangish sky. Even colder air arrives after our next snow chance which arrives Sunday. Justin joined WQOW News 18 in May 2018. But, why? But at night, it can keep the heat in and temperatures may not cool off as much. Death toll climbs a s Australia burns Otago Museum director and ODT's Sky watch columnist Ian Griffin took this timelapse video from Portobello this morning.