Smoke produced by fires thousands of miles away is now choking a storm swirling in the Atlantic Ocean. Welcome to weather in 2018.
Thursday morning, Weather Channel meteorologist Jonathan Erdman found that smoke from California and Canada's record-breaking wildfires has nearly engulfed subtropical storm Ernesto.
SEE ALSO:How long does it take for today's violent wildfires to go out?Previously, the wildfire smoke had shut down Yosemite National Park, and the National Weather Service watched last week as smoke traveled 3,000 miles across the U.S.
Meteorologists first spotted the inevitable meeting of smoke and storm after Ernesto formed on Wednesday.
Tweet may have been deleted
It's not unprecedented for smoke to waft thousands of miles across the U.S. and beyond, but it certainly is rare, atmospheric scientists explained last week.
It also takes a lot of smoke to create this kind of global impact.
California alone is contributing its fair share, with three of the largest fires in Golden State history having burned well over half a million acres this summer.
The easily visible collision of storm and smoke occurred when the formidable Canadian wildfires were added to the mix, with the benefit of high atmospheric winds.
Tweet may have been deleted
The event is yet another stark consequence of climate change enhancing Earth's natural processes.
Wildfires are an expected summer occurrence, but record and near-record heat has resulted in exceptionally dried-out forests and vegetation in the Western U.S. and Canada, enabling vigorous, deadly storms.
Though Ernesto, in the middle of the ocean, isn't a threat to land and is forecast to peter out in a matter of days, it's unknown how the wildfire smoke will affect the tempest.
Erdman cited past instances of smoke both enhancing rainfall, and suppressing storms.
Tweet may have been deleted
Although this seems like a pretty exceptional event, there's a reasonable chance that much more smoke will enter the high atmosphere in the coming weeks and months.
As Yale University fire scientist Jennifer Marlon noted yesterday, robust fires are still raging, and "there’s still plenty of forest out there to burn."
(责任编辑：時尚)
Photos show the Blue Cut fire blazing a path of destruction in California
Nothing to see here, just a cricket commentator announcing a match during his vasectomy
Turtle funeral makes this boy look like the most thoughtful human on Earth
You can now point your phone at Japanese text and get an instant translation
Michael Phelps says goodbye to the pool with Olympic goldGive your kitchen sponge a rest on this adorable bed
Our kitchen sponges do a lot of work. Don't they deserve a good night's rest?"Sure," said design stu
...[详细]Mario Batali can't resist a plate of nachos, either
You might expect an American Iron Chef and lauded restaurateur to serve caviar, champagne and tiny c
...[详细]How Nike plans to break one of the most daunting barriers in human performance
Human beings have walked the earth for millennia, yet no one has ever run 26.2 miles -- a marathon,
...[详细]You can now point your phone at Japanese text and get an instant translation
Google's Word Lens is a smartphone app that lets you point your camera at text and get an instant tr
...[详细]Tyler, the Creator helped Frank Ocean celebrate 'Blonde' release in a delicious way
The release of Frank Ocean's。 Blonde。is a cause for celebration to the fans who waited four years fo
...[详细]This disturbing dolphin selfie trend is a low point for humanity
Could people please stop dragging dolphins from the water in order to take selfies with them?SEE ALS
...[详细]Mario Batali can't resist a plate of nachos, either
You might expect an American Iron Chef and lauded restaurateur to serve caviar, champagne and tiny c
...[详细]Of course this novelty 'Final Fantasy' fork is an oversized sword replica
The simple rule when you're creating Final Fantasyswag: go comically oversized.Nissin Foods, the Jap
...[详细]Major earthquake and multiple aftershocks rock central Italy
UPDATE: Aug. 25, 2016, 8:22 a.m. BST 。 Death toll is now at least 247 dead: 190 in Rieti province and
...[详细]Some very rich person bought a plane seat for each of their falcons
It's pretty sad when some pets lead nicer lives than most people on earth.Redditor lensoo shared an
...[详细]This weird squid looks like it has googly eyes, guys
Google throws shade at Trump's 'Muslim ban' with a historical Doodle
