Hazy Days

Smoke from wildfires burning in Canada and Alaska filled the air around Smith Lake in early July.  We could even smell the smoke in the air!  The sun became a huge red ball in the early evenings, and sunset came at least a half hour earlier than usual as the sun suddenly disappeared behind the smoke that cloaked the horizon.

Not a cloud in the sky... smoke from wildfires at sunset.

Here is a map that shows how smoke from the fires traveled around the globe in early July.  The article notes how Minnesota was "hit particularly hard."