- The sky over San Francisco was significantly darker and orange on Wednesday.
- Scientists say the color comes from smoke particles from wildfires across the state.
- Residents of San Francisco reached out on social media to share the sky, comparing it to scientific films like “Blade Runner.”
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
As California experienced one of its most severe wildfire experiences on record, the sky in San Francisco turned an ominous orange on Wednesday.
“We live in a world that is affected by global warming, and we are experiencing its effects,” said Noah Defenboff, a professor of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences at Stanford School Earth. Unusual weather phenomenon. He told Business Insider that his research team recently found that the frequency of wildfires in California has doubled in the last 40 years.
– Jared Patty (@paticommared) September 9, 2020
Ozneha (થ mithrilmaker) September 9, 2020
Long-term warming, the effect of temperature on vegetation dryness, and the ignition of strong winds lead to this extreme fire. The wind is also responsible for sending smoke to San Francisco. The combined smoke from the fires around California has forked the Pacific coast, blocking sunlight and causing orange skies.
M Emily Dreyfus (@ Emilidrefus) September 9, 2020
-Jason Goldman (No @ Goldman) September 9, 2020
Local news channel KRON4 reports that smoke particles can scatter sunlight in such a way that it appears reddish-orange as it settles in the air.
Eric Risberg / AP
Residents posted photos and videos of the uncontrolled horizon on social media.
Iz Liz Kreutz (BCs) September 9, 2020
Am Sam Houston (SamHouston) September 9, 2020
Many found the sky terrifying, and some compared it to the sci-fi “Blade Runner” movies set in a dystopian future Los Angeles.
ÏAnaïs (@anaisisdrawing) September 9, 2020
Gιℓєѕ (@ Gi1es) September 9, 2020
Some, including Bloomberg reporter Sarah Ferrier, have noted that they had to manually turn off color-correction camera features to capture the scene.
– Sarah Fireier (@ Sarahfire) September 9, 2020
Defenbagh Fay stressed that wildfires result from the confluence of conditions, and that global temperatures are the only factor that people can take into account in disaster prevention. He warned that with temperatures expected to rise by three to five degrees by the end of the century, there would be fewer resources to fight the simultaneous burning fires.
-Thigh Kim / 김정호 (@ Junkimphoto) September 9, 2020
-Beth Laberge (@BethLebridge) September 9, 2020
Rian Brian Chorsky (@Bryanchorsky) September 9, 2020
