The fires burning some 3000 miles away and ravaging the forests in California, Oregon and Washington state will make the skies over Maine today and the next few days look, well, smokey.

It's a small price for us here in Maine to pay, after what everyone out west is going through.

Wildfires in California have now burned acreage the size of Connecticut, and at least 36 deaths are now attributed to the fires there.  Meanwhile, thousands of families have been chased from their homes, and many of those homes have burned to the ground.

Here in Maine, hazy smoke that has traveled the jet stream from out west will overtake an otherwise mostly sunny day.  If you look straight up, you may be fortunate enough to see some blue sky, but the rest of the sky around that will have a hazy/smokey dim hue to it.  When you first walk out your door you should be able to smell the smoke as well.

Sunset tonight and over the next few days or so may present an image more appropriate for the planet Mars, with skies looking orange and red.

It's hard to predict how long this condition will remain, as winds and the fires themselves are very unpredictable.

Certain folks with breathing and other problems may want to stay indoors, and if your job takes you outdoors you may want to take it easy when you find yourself breathing differently because of the smoke.

Regardless, the smoke in the skies above Maine reminds us of what our western brothers and sisters are going through, and our thoughts and prayers are certainly with them.

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