Haze in Ontario and that Bright Red Sun

Today is a different day for two reasons: Ontarians experienced haze, and we see a bright red sun today.

When I went outside for groceries here in North York, I immediately thought of a haze. But I had to make sure, so I checked the Environment Canada official website.

Environment Canada issued on Tuesday air quality statements for these provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northern Ontario, Southern Quebec, and Saskatchewan.

"Smoke from active forest fires in northwestern Ontario has moved over southern Ontario. Elevated particulate matter levels and hazy conditions have been reported at several stations. Reduced visibilities and deteriorating air quality are possible if the smoke descends to ground level." - Environment Canada

I'm in Toronto, one of the 13 cities in Southern Ontario, and I can see the haze from my neighbourhood.

The smoke and hazy conditions are effects of the fires in northwestern Ontario and western Canada, according to the Ontario Forest Fires.

Although Environment Canada said conditions will improve on Tuesday with the passage of a cold front, children, seniors, and people with cardiovascular or lung disease like asthma are at risk. Others may also experience coughing, throat irritation, headaches, or shortness of breath.

Another reason why it is a different day is that we see a bright red sun. The photo below shows the red sun although it is far away from my window.

I have been trying to find the answer as to why the sun looks like a glowing red orb today. So I reached out to someone I know from my home country. He is Jhomer Eclarino, weather specialist of the Visayas Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (Pagasa) Regional Services Division.

"If the atmosphere is loaded with particles, the longest red wavelengths are able to penetrate the atmosphere that is why we see a red sun. The more particles in the atmosphere, the more scattering of sunlight and the redder the sun appears." - Jhomer Eclarino

Here are some of the tweets I saw today about the red sun.

Talk to you soon.

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P.S.

This post is part of my 30-day diary, an assignment for my Journalism in Public Life subject. All the embedded links and visuals are attributed. Feel free to leave your comment below or send me a private message if you have questions or clarifications. Thanks for dropping by.