Dixie Fire blots out Spokane sunshine

The Inland Northwest woke up to a blood-orange sunrise on Thursday thanks to California’s largest wildfire. The Dixie Fire made a major run on Wednesday as the weather became hot and windy in the Sierras; destroying the historic town of Greenville in the process. The fire has now burned over 322,000 acres (503 square miles).

RELATED:‘We lost Greenville’: Wildfire decimates California town

Noah Berger

This photo shows cars and homes destroyed by the Dixie Fire line central Greenville on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, in Plumas County, Calif.

SEE IT:‘The town is completely gone’: Photos, video show California fire devastation

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Image: NOAA/CIRA
Dixie Fire 8/4/2021

On Wednesday night, the smoke columns from the Dixie Fire were swept north by jet stream winds across the Inland Northwest. By the time the sun rose on Thursday, the smoke had shrouded the land in perpetual shade.

Image: NOAA/CIRA
Dixie Fire 8/5/2021

Luckily, the smoke was high up in the atmosphere, so no issue with air quality.

The lack of heat during the morning kept our temperatures well below the forecasted highs on Thursday. Instead of the mid-90s, the smoke helped keep highs down in the mid-80s instead. With more heat this morning, we likely would have even had more thunderstorm activity too! All of this is thanks to a wildfire over 500 miles away.

More heavy smoke is getting pumped into the atmosphere from the Dixie Fire on Thursday evening, but shifting winds are already starting to steer it away from the Northwest. On satellite, you can see the plume starting to turn as a thunderstorm approaches.

Image: NOAA/CIRA
Dixie Fire Evening of 8/5/2021

The only smoke Eastern Washington and North Idaho will be dealing with in the days ahead will be from local fires. A much cooler weather pattern should help rein in the fires too; a big improvement from where the Inland Northwest was earlier this week.

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