CHARLOTTE — You may have noticed a more reddish-orange hue to the sky over the Charlotte area -- it is actually from the blazing wildfires on the West Coast and in Canada.
The smoke from dozens of wildfires in the western United States is stretching clear across the country -- and even pushing into Mexico, Canada and Europe. While the dangerous plumes are forcing people inside along the West Coast, residents thousands of miles away in the East are seeing unusually hazy skies and remarkable sunsets.
Extraordinary plumes of wildfire smoke are billowing out of these massive complexes, reaching so far up into the atmosphere that they are being carried thousands of miles east by high-level winds.
Smoke from those wildfires gets spewed up into the atmosphere, where the jet stream then lifts it 20,000 to 25,000 feet above the earth’s surface, sending it down the East Coast.
Wildfires creating haze on East Coast Smoke -- the darker gray between the bright white storm clouds -- can be seen from space over the Great Lakes and Northern Plains on Monday. (NASA MODIS)
The smoke at high levels of the atmosphere is visible in several ways. Its effect on light causes the sun to look red at sunset as the sky takes on a burnt-orange color. A similar effect can be seen in the morning as the sun rises.
This happens because of the way light passes through the atmosphere. Sunlight is scattered in all directions by small air particles and the smallest wavelengths -- the blues -- are scattered the most, which is why the sky is blue.
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast The Statue of Liberty sits behind a cloud of haze on July 20, 2021, in New York City. According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wildfire smoke from the west has arrived in the tri-state area creating decreased visibility and a yellowish haze in many areas. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast Wildfires burning out of control across the Western United States causes hazy skies throughout New York City and Washington, D.C., on July 20, 2021, in New York, United States. According to the National Weather Service, smoke and haze from raging wildfires out west and in Canada that drifted across the Great Lakes region reached the Eastern Seaboard. The experts said the smoke and fog may continue to affect New York. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast Wildfires burning out of control across the Western United States causes hazy skies throughout New York City and Washington, D.C., on July 20, 2021 in New York, United States. According to the National Weather Service, smoke and haze from raging wildfires out west and in Canada that drifted across the Great Lakes region reached the Eastern Seaboard. The experts said the smoke and fog may continue to affect New York. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast A thick haze hangs over Manhattan, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in New York. Wildfires in the American West, including one burning in Oregon that's currently the largest in the U.S., are creating hazy skies as far away as New York as the massive infernos spew smoke and ash into the air in columns up to six miles high. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast Smoke from Western wildfires dims the sun before the Philadelphia Phillies played New York Yankees in a baseball game Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast Smoke from blocks the view looking toward Manhattan from Yankee Stadium before the Philadelphia Phillies played the New York Yankees in a baseball game Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast The Met Life and Chrysler buildings glow through a thick haze hanging over Manhattan, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in New York. Wildfires in the American West, including one burning in Oregon that's currently the largest in the U.S., are creating hazy skies as far away as New York as the massive infernos spew smoke and ash into the air in columns up to six miles high. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast Smoke blocks the view looking toward Manhattan from Yankee Stadium before the Philadelphia Phillies played the New York Yankees in a baseball game Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast The Staten Island Ferry departs from the Manhattan terminal through a haze of smoke with the Statue of Liberty barely visible, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in New York. Wildfires in the American West, including one burning in Oregon that's currently the largest in the U.S., are creating hazy skies as far away as New York as the massive infernos spew smoke and ash into the air in columns up to six miles high. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast Staten Island Ferry commuters take in the view of lower Manhattan seen through haze, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in New York. Smoke from wildfires across the U.S. West, including Oregon's Bootleg Fire, has wafted over large swaths of the eastern United States. David Lawrence, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the skies could be hazy for the next couple weeks. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast Spires from the World Trade Center Oculus frame the setting sun barely visible through a thick haze hanging over Manhattan, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in New York. Wildfires in the American West, including one burning in Oregon that's currently the largest in the U.S., are creating hazy skies as far away as New York as the massive infernos spew smoke and ash into the air in columns up to six miles high. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Photos: Western wildfire smoke brings haze to East Coast Staten Island ferry commuters walk past a view of the Statue of Liberty seen through haze, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in New York. Smoke from wildfires across the U.S. West, including Oregon's Bootleg Fire, has wafted over large swaths of the eastern United States. The New York City sky was hazy with smoke from fires thousands of miles away. David Lawrence, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the skies could be hazy for the next couple weeks. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Smoke particles are much larger, scattering the red wavelengths more efficiently and causing the sky to take on a yellow or orange tint.
Channel 9′s model data shows that the mountains and areas north of Charlotte have the best viewing opportunities on Wednesday and Thursday to see these vivid sky shows.
CNN and The Associated Press contributed to this article.
(WATCH BELOW: Western wildfires: What you need to know)