A hazy sky is expected today before rain arrives this evening, due to wildfire smoke from the southern U.S. While some of the smoke is expected to remain safely above us, we will be able to smell it through this afternoon. Some surface smoke will be visible and will cause degraded air quality.

After a record-breaking 2023 Canadian wildfire season, multiple major uncontained wildfires have already developed in the southern U.S., much earlier and more widespread than usual. This includes three separate major fires in Oklahoma; the Moore Hollow Fire in Southwest Virginia, the Radar Fire in northern Florida, and the Chewalla Creek Fire in northern Mississippi.

As rain returns this evening, this will erase the smoky sky and poor air quality quickly. And as much colder Canadian air arrives Wednesday night, this wind switch will keep the wildfire smoke away from us until this weekend, when more hazy conditions are possible with a warmer southerly wind once again.