Wildfire smoke in Boston may move closer to ground

BOSTON - Wildfire smoke from fires out west continues to be visible in the skies above Boston and the forecast calls for it to worsen on Friday, which could lead to air quality alerts in the region.

Why is it hazy in Boston today?

If you are a "Star Wars" fan, you undoubtedly are familiar with the dusty, desert planet of Tatooine. Perhaps you've even dreamed of one day visiting this fictional place. Well, today is your day! Just step outside and look up!

Ok, maybe that is a bit dramatic, but our sky does have a hazy, brownish tint.

Those aren't clouds and it is not due to high levels of smog or humidity, it is smoke from the western Canadian wildfires .

Kind of crazy to think that these remote fires nearly 2,000 miles from Boston are somehow impacting our weather isn't it?

In actuality, the journey that the smoke is taking to get from there to here is MUCH longer than 2,000 miles. The smoke is largely traveling here via the upper level jetstream which is several thousand feet above our heads.

The current jetstream pattern is directing the smoke down into the upper Midwest, back up into eastern Canada and then straight south into New England. Quite the roller coaster ride!

It is fairly easy to detect on visible satellite imagery today.

The bright whites are the clouds and the faded, grayish/brownish layer is the smoke.

Wildfire smoke forecast in Boston

Boston currently does not have any air quality alerts largely because the smoke is not at the surface (ground level) but instead, several thousand feet above our heads.

This will last for one more day. In fact, Friday is likely to be the smokiest and haziest day as models are projecting a fairly thick plume headed southward into New England.

There is even some smoke being modeled closer to the surface on Friday. If this were to occur, we may see some air quality alerts issued by the National Weather Service.

Why is the sun red?

The news isn't all bad. In fact, we may see some of the best sunrises and sunsets of the summer over the next few days!

When you have particulate matter (smoke for example) in the atmosphere it tends to scatter the shorter wavelengths of light (blues) and allow for longer wavelengths (reds and oranges) to be more prominent.

So, be alert Friday morning, Friday evening and perhaps again Saturday morning for some really great horizon shots!

This weekend, the jetstream will shift around as a trough forms in the Upper Midwest. This will bring southwesterly winds into New England.

This will actually serve two very useful purposes: First it will kick the smoke out to sea. Secondly, it will also help to kick Hurricane Ernesto out to sea as well!

If you snap any colorful sky pictures, we would love to see them!  Send them to weather@wbztv.com

Thunderstorms in Massachusetts Thursday

The WBZ Weather Team has issued a NEXT Weather Alert for an area of downpours and thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening.

A cluster of storms is rotating southward from Maine and into central and eastern Massachusetts late Thursday. While not a classic setup for severe weather, there is the potential for some very heavy downpours, small hail and localized wind damage.

Timing is generally between 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. with the highest threat south of Boston in the latter hours.

Rainfall totals will be sporadic, with some areas getting a quick inch or more while others, nothing. If you are driving in during one of the heavier downpours, there may be some very brief, localized flooding and ponding on roadways.