RENO, Nev. (AP) - The smoky haze over Reno and parts of the eastern Sierra is coming from wildfires in Siberia more than 5,000 miles away.
The National Weather Service says the smoke has been traveling across the Pacific Ocean since Sunday.
Farmers set the fires burning grass in their fields as they do each spring in Khakassia, a region of southeast Siberia.
But the flames spread out of control due to strong winds, killing more than a dozen people and destroying hundreds of homes.
NWS meteorologist Brian O’Hara says a few thunderstorms in the forecast may help clear the air on the Sierra’s eastern front the next few days. But he told the Reno Gazette-Journal (https://tinyurl.com/muask8o) he doesn’t expect any strong winds so the haze likely will fill back into area valleys after the storms pass.
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Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal, https://www.rgj.com
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