Here's why it's so dang smoky in Colorado today

At the start of the week, Colorado's skies are hazy to say the least. But have no fear – the smoke isn't coming from a local blaze.

It might be hard to believe, but wildfire smoke is capable of traveling thousands of miles, impacting air quality far from where a burn is taking place . And that's what's happening right now.

In case you haven't heard, there are several large fires burning in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Canada , with several hundred thousand acres going up in flames in recent days and weeks. And this smoke is on the move, casting hazy skies over much of North America, including Colorado.

As might be expected, this smoke is impacting air quality in Colorado, too. According to IQAir , much of the state falls into the 'moderate' category in terms of air quality, which pretty much means that sensitive groups should reduce outdoor exercise, that windows should be closed to avoid dirty outdoor air, and that sensitive groups may want to wear a mask or run an air purifier. That said, some parts of the Denver metro are teetering on falling into a worse category, which may mean other precautions are needed.

The current smoke warning is in place for particularly sensitive groups of people in northern Colorado, including those with lung disease, through Monday at 10 p.m. This may be subject to extension.

Find the government smoke map here .

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