Fact check: True, sky has turned orange to blood red in several parts of US
By Satya Priya BN Published on 10 Sep 2020 6:08 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Several pictures and videos are being shared on social media, showing orange colored skies with a claim that the sky has turned blood red in Oregon, USA.
While few users shared a video stating "September 8, 2020: This is nuts. Downtown Stayton (Oregon) at 12:22 pm. Be safe, everyone."
While others shared the picture showing similar visual claiming: "This photo is from Salem today. It was taken at noon. With absolutely NO FILTER."
Even though users have shared these pictures, many felt skeptical about the authenticity of these visuals, doubting if they have been photoshopped.
Fact Check:
The claim shared that skies in Oregon, USA have turned blood red during the middle of the day is TRUE.
At least seven people have been reported dead in wildfires of Washington, Oregon, California states of USA. These blazes are being driven by high winds and fueled by recent heat waves in the region.
About 35 wildfires fueled by hot, dry winds have burned more than 300,000 acres across Oregon, the USA causing widespread evacuations and destruction of several communities, the NY Times reported.
"As these wildfires tore through Washington, California, and Oregon on September 8 and September 9, 2020, there has smoke accumulated in the sky, casting many regions in creepy, apocalyptic shades of orange and red," reported Insider.com.
Wildfire smoke causes these striking changes to the sky because sunlight interacts with particles in the atmosphere and scatters differently depending on how it hits them. Particles from smoke like volatile organic compounds, dust, and soot — are much larger than gas molecules (like Nitrogen and Oxygen scatter light with short wavelengths, generally blue light) and they scatter light with longer wavelengths. That's a phenomenon called Mie scattering, and it's why skies turn orange and red due to wildfire smoke.
This report also carries several images showing orange skies from Washington to Oregon, USA.
The Independent has published a video on its YouTube showing similar visuals where the description says sky above parts of the US state of Oregon has turned red and orange due to wildfires burning across the country's west coast. Thousands of residents have left their homes after the state's governor, Kate Brown, issued evacuation orders. The blaze has destroyed more than 230,000 acres of land. Fires and extreme weather have ravaged parts of California, Oregon, and Washington with hot temperatures, strong winds, and dry conditions giving way to devastation.
News media published similar reports.
Hence, it is TRUE that the sky has turned Orange to Blood Red in several parts of the USA.
