Soot and ash from the fires affecting almost 5,000 square kilometres in Canada’s westernmost province were carried across the Atlantic by westerly winds, SRF Meteo said in statement.
The smoke from the fires in the province, where a state of emergency has been declared, took around three and a half days to reach Switzerland.
#Russpartikel in der Luft sorgten gestern Abend für einen tollen #Sonnenuntergang?. Danke #SRFAugenzeuge ?. https://t.co/9LAfDMq2bj
^gf pic.twitter.com/j0Vib76JMe— SRF Meteo (@srfmeteo) August 29, 2018
On Tuesday morning, fine particles of soot and ash – measuring just 2 to 3 microns across – filtered the sunlight causing red and yellow-tinged sunrises.
The same effect was seen in the evening.
Just another day on aerosol Earth: tropical cyclones, dust storms, and fires spread tiny particles throughout the atmosphere on August 23, 2018. https://t.co/wl9Py7DPFY #NASA #GEOS #HurricaneLane #CaliforniaWildfires #BCFires #Soulik #Cimaron #atmosphere #dust #blackcarbon pic.twitter.com/IOhAGFiAlt
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) August 23, 2018
Soot readings also shot up dramatically at the Jungfraujoch saddle in the Bernese Oberland, a popular tourist destination nearly 3,500 metres above sea level.
The phenomenon was also noted in the canton of Ticino on Sunday, according to government meteorological service MeteoSuisse.
Read also: Waterspouts form over Swiss lakes as cool weather hits