Western wildfires producing smoky sunset in the Midwest, Miami Valley

You may notice a funky looking sunset this evening, but it's nothing to be alarmed about. In fact, what you're seeing is caused by something happening thousands of miles away in the Arctic, Storm Center 7 Chief Meteorologist McCall Vrydaghs said.

 >> LIVE: Doppler 7 radar | Interactive

Wildfires have been ongoing in northwestern Canada and Alaska for weeks. After record breaking warmth in June, unprecedented wildfires have been ravaging this region.

In recent days, smoke from these wildfires have been caught up in the jet stream, carrying it south into the northern United States and the Midwest.

The particles within this smoke plume cause the sky to look hazy or milky. These added particles can cause the sunlight to bend and reflect in a different way than it typically would.

It's most noticeable around sunset, making the sun appear slightly more orange and a bit dimmer than normal.

>> Heat returns for the weekend

If you happen to snap a photo of tonight's sunset, send it along to WHIO through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

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