BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) —Over a dozen states in the West are battling wildfires, and the resulting smoke is now making its way to New England.
The amount of land burned along the West Coast so far is around five million acres, nearly the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.
Massachusetts skies are expected to get hazier over the next few days, with smoke coming from states like California, Colorado and Washington.
Rodney Chai, a Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boston, said that smoke in New England should not come as a surprise.
"Once the smoke gets caught in the jet stream and in fast moving winds in the upper atmosphere, they can travel a long distance and over a short period of time,” Chai said.
Chai also said the West Coast has been very dry—even by regional standards—which has led to larger and more frequent brush fires.
"The smoke will take on kind of like a milky color," Chai said. "It’s quite different from other clouds."
Massachusetts residents should expect to see hazy conditions for a few days, but Chai said it is not enough smoke to create any air quality issues in the area.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojas) reports.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio:Facebook|Twitter|Instagram|iHeartmedia App
(Image: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio)