Western Wildfires Could Bring Stunning Sunset To NoVA, DC

VIRGINIA — The District and Northern Virginia couldn't be any further from California and other western U.S. states battling wildfires, the blazes across the country may influence the East Coast.

Smoke from the wildlfires could cast a beautiful glow over the Eastern U.S. Weather officials said that "milky colors" visible in satellite imagery near Lake Erie on Wednesday indicate smoke from the fires at a high altitude.

"It is making its way toward us," the National Weather Service said, and AccuWeather notes that it could reach Virginia, DC and neighboring states Thursday.

Depending on wind conditions, the smoke may have an impact on air quality, AccuWeather says.

The smoke is originating from 93 wildfires burning more than 800,000 acres in Idaho and western Montana. Such blazes have become both more regular and more devastating due to drought and other climate change impacts in recent years.

Many of the fires currently raging in the northern Rockies are unique in that they are sparked not just by human recklessness or natural phenomena like lightning, but from burning coal underground. The multifaceted fires "foretell a new era of climate catastrophe," High Country News says.

If the wildfire smoke does reach the DC region, most of the state should have clear conditions to see it.

Here's the latest forecast through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service:

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Calm wind.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 88.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 65.

This story includes reporting by Patch editor Justin Heinze.