(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Some haze and smokey conditions have recently found their way into the region giving just a slight tint to our sky. The conditions have not been overwhelmingly strong, and this is likely due to the way in which the smoke has arrived here.

Currently, there is a large and dominating high-pressure system over the central U.S. which has brought record-breaking heat and humidity to the area recently. Just this week, Kansas City saw heat index values near 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Lawrence Kansas, just next door, clocked a heat index value of over 130 degrees Fahrenheit over the weekend.

The heat and humidity aren’t the only atmospheric impacts underway from that high-pressure system though – we’re also seeing Canadian wildfire smoke being blown into Southern Colorado.

High-pressure systems, in the northern hemisphere, flow clockwise. The overall flow of this dominating system in the middle of the U.S. is actually transporting the wildfire smoke from the great white north, through the eastern edge of the system, down near the deep south and finally is pulled northward into Southern Colorado.

Due to the extensive distance covered on its journey, the smoke and haze likely lost some of the energy associated with it along the way. Nonetheless, if you step outside you still just might be able to notice its presence.