Smoke from California fires drifting far east

What happens in California doesn’t stay in California.

Smoke from the massive wildfires scorching the Golden State is drifting across the USA and has been reported as far east as New England, NASA said.

In addition to ash and smoke, the fires release carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide is a dangerous pollutant that can persist in the air for about a month and travel great distances.

NASA said that in recent weeks, carbon monoxide has been reported high in the atmosphere across the country; one branch is moving south toward Texas, and the other is forking to the Northeast.

Fortunately, because it’s so high in the atmosphere, it has little effect on the air we breathe. The smoke hangs about a mile above East Coast cities, too high to cause concern, AccuWeather confirmed.

A shift in winds or movement from the jet stream, however, could pull that smoke closer to the ground. Though those possibilities are unlikely, they would increase the risk of respiratory problems, AccuWeather said.

“Many people may have respiratory symptoms when breathing smoky air. The good news is that most symptoms are short-lived and resolve as smoke dissipates,” said Karin Pacheco of National Jewish Health in Denver.

Nearly 5,000 wildfires have scorched almost 1,500 square miles across California this year, fire officials said, an area about the size of Rhode Island.

The typical peak of the fire season is still to come.

For residents of California and other parts of the fire-ravaged West, little relief from the poor air quality is in sight – and that remains a serious health concern. “Exposure to particle pollution can cause serious health problems, aggravate lung disease, cause asthma attacks and acute bronchitis, and increase risk of respiratory infections,” the National Weather Service said.

Light winds and relentless high heat in California continue to trap the smoke near the ground.

One highlight from all the smoke: stunning red and orange sunrises and sunsets across the country. The reason, according to AccuWeather, is that smoke particles work as a sunlight filter to allow more orange and red colors of the light spectrum to pass through.

AP Evacuees from Lucerne, Calif., watch the sunset through the smoke at Austin Park Beach in Clearlake. Mount Konocti is in the background.