Smoky skies are bad for our air quality but they can produce really pretty sunsets. The smoke can oftentimes turn the sun a shade of red as well. The smoke is similar to having high level clouds at sunset, producing vibrant shades of red, orange, pink, and yellow. Rayleigh scattering causes us to see different colors, such as a blue sky. Raleigh scattering is what happens when light emitted by the sun travels into the atmosphere and bounces off of different molecules and atoms. The color of the sky is dependent on all of the individual wave lengths being scattered differently. Each wave length has a different energy level and color.
Shorter wave lengths like violet and indigo get scattered out first. To see indigo you would have to be flying way up in the atmosphere. Next is blue and this wave length is scattered much more than red. This is why we see it more often. At sunset the light has a longer distance to travel, scattering most of the blue wave lengths, this leaves the reds, oranges, and yellows behind.
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Mie scattering also plays a role. Unlike Rayleigh scattering, that scatters wave lengths differently, Mie scattering scatters all of the different wave lengths the same. This is what gives clouds the color white. Haze and smoke can make clouds appear red, orange, or pink. It can also make the sun appear red. The clouds are a reflection of whats going on in the sky because of Rayleigh scattering. Which means our pretty sunsets and sunrises are a result of both Rayleigh and Mie Scattering.
Unfortunately it will stay somewhat smoky over the next few days, as our winds come out of the west. Occasionally, smoke will come into the North Valleys and Reno area from the fires ongoing in northeast California. This is especially true in the overnight hours. It will be hot this weekend as well. Temperatures will be in the upper 90’s and triple digits. There is a Heat Advisory posted not only for the valley but for Tahoe as well. The advisory goes from Friday through Sunday. Stay cool and healthy this weekend.
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