Date | September 9, 2020 |
---|---|
Location | Bay Area, California, United States |
Cause | Smoke from the North Complex Fire |
Orange Skies Day was a climatological event that occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area on September 9, 2020. Temperatures varied in different places, but the sky was overall orange. [1] [2]
The orange-colored hue in the sky was the result of smoke from the North Complex Fire (including the Bear Fire) and more than 20 other wildfires, which burned more than 2 million acres east of the San Francisco Bay Area. [3] This smoke scattered blue light wavelengths, which only allowed warmer colors to reach the Earth's surface. [4]
On the morning of September 9, 2020, the sun failed to appear. As a result, light-sensitive bridge and street lights remained alight the entire day, and drivers were recommended to keep their headlights on all day. [5] Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist, wrote that the smoke was "almost completely blocking out the sun across some portions of Northern California." [6] In a tweet, the San Francisco Fire Department stated, "We know the smoke, darkness and orange glow is scary. It is going to get better." [7]
Public officials, such as former-President Barack Obama, attributed the event to climate change. [8] California Governor Gavin Newsom stated, "I quite literally have no patience for climate change deniers. It's completely inconsistent, that point of view, with the reality on the ground." [9]
In popular culture, the day was compared to the films Blade Runner 2049 and Dune. [10] [11] In 2022, a theatrical concept album by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company titled "The Day the Sky Turned Orange" was performed at the New Roots Theatre Festival. [12]
Date | September 9, 2020 |
---|---|
Location | Bay Area, California, United States |
Cause | Smoke from the North Complex Fire |
Orange Skies Day was a climatological event that occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area on September 9, 2020. Temperatures varied in different places, but the sky was overall orange. [1] [2]
The orange-colored hue in the sky was the result of smoke from the North Complex Fire (including the Bear Fire) and more than 20 other wildfires, which burned more than 2 million acres east of the San Francisco Bay Area. [3] This smoke scattered blue light wavelengths, which only allowed warmer colors to reach the Earth's surface. [4]
On the morning of September 9, 2020, the sun failed to appear. As a result, light-sensitive bridge and street lights remained alight the entire day, and drivers were recommended to keep their headlights on all day. [5] Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist, wrote that the smoke was "almost completely blocking out the sun across some portions of Northern California." [6] In a tweet, the San Francisco Fire Department stated, "We know the smoke, darkness and orange glow is scary. It is going to get better." [7]
Public officials, such as former-President Barack Obama, attributed the event to climate change. [8] California Governor Gavin Newsom stated, "I quite literally have no patience for climate change deniers. It's completely inconsistent, that point of view, with the reality on the ground." [9]
In popular culture, the day was compared to the films Blade Runner 2049 and Dune. [10] [11] In 2022, a theatrical concept album by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company titled "The Day the Sky Turned Orange" was performed at the New Roots Theatre Festival. [12]