Wildfires in California turn Sun lavender

William Atkins
Monday, 30 June 2008 17:47

Science - Climate

More than one thousand wildfires in northern California are making the atmosphere very smoky, which is also causing the phenomenon called “Lavender Sun.”


The U.S. Forest Service states than lower-than-average rainfall has produced very dry conditions in the northern half of California, on the western coast of the United States.

With these very dry conditions in California, unusually strong and frequent lightning storms have ignited many of the wildfires across the northern portion of the state.

Firefighters battling the blazes state that it could take weeks or months to get them under control.

The numerous wildfires have caused unusually widespread and thick plumes of smoke in the northern California sky.

Many news articles are reporting the California wildfires. One such article is the Sunday, June 29, 2008 Associated Press article “Firefighters in stalemate against Calif. Blazes.”

When Californians look at the Sun through the atmospheric haze over their state they see a Sun looking like a bright shade of purple.

Please turn the page for photographs of the phenomenon and an explanation of it.