Hazy, smoky skies are becoming the norm across much of the western U.S. and Canada with some smoke drifting into the Northeast.
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It’s Friday, July 26, 2024. Start your day with everything you need to know about today’s weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.
Hazy Friday skies from coast to coast
Smoke is filling the skies from coast to coast due to hundreds of wildfires across the western U.S. and Canada. The smoke is leading to hazy skies across wide swaths of the nation and degrading air quality. With the fires showing no signs of stopping across the West, bouts of smoke will continue to be sent east in the coming days and weeks.
West Surface Smoke Tracker
(FOX Weather)
Some of the notable western fires are in California and Oregon.
The Park Fire in Chico, California, has threatened more than 1,500 structures and burned more than 160,000 acres as it continues to explode in size. Deputies arrested a suspected arsonist on Thursday after they found the cause of the fire.
The Park Fire has now consumed several homes outside Chico as it swells to over 150,000 acres. One home exploded Wednesday as the flames tore through a neighborhood. (Video courtesy: AIO Filmz Media via Storyful)
In Oregon, firefighters are fighting four “megafires” in the state. One of the larger “megafires” – defined as a fire that has burned more than 100,000 acres – is the Durkee Fire, which has scorched nearly a quarter of a million acres since a lightning strike on July 17 ignited it.
(FOX Weather)
Hurricane HQ: Tropical Storm Bud continues churning in Eastern Pacific
Tropical Storm Bud continues its western trek across the Eastern Pacific with no threat to land. Tropical Storm Bud was expected to exist for only around a day or two before beginning to weaken while in the open waters of the Pacific and working westward.
(FOX Weather)
Watch this: Shocking sight at the backyard pool
Momma always said not to swim in the pool during a thunderstorm, and now we see why. The lightning strike hit a tree near a home in Waco, North Carolina, but it was the metal fence that had sparks along the fence posts.
A vivid lightning strike not only struck a tree in a North Carolina backyard but sent a jolt through the ground to a nearby fence, creating a cascade of sparks. (Video courtesy: Sharon Mitchell)
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