Alaska Fires Helping Arkansas Weather
By: Import User
Updated: January 7, 2009
Arkansans have high-level smog to thank for
a short break from brutal temperatures.
The National Weather Service says smoke from wildfires in Alaska
has covered much of the state at high altitude the past few days,
helping keep temperatures below the highs they would have reached.
The smoke moved in over the weekend and is moving east of the state
today.
Meteorologist Emilie Nipper says the smoke blew east to the
great lakes region, then moved south on upper-air currents. She
says such high-level smog acts like cloud cover, keeping nights
warmer than usual and days cooler than usual.
Alaska has been having one of its worst wildfire seasons in
years, with more than 3.5 million acres already
burned. However, most of the state`s 107 fires are in Alaska`s
remote and unpopulated forests, and many are being allowed to burn.
