Smoke Travels, Rain Cleans

The rain to the west is teasing us. Get out your Gothamist galoshes and be prepared to get drenched again this evening. Don't be surprised to see one, two, or even more inches of rain, especially to the north and west of the city.

The rain washes pollen and pollutants out of the atmosphere. Allergy sufferers shouldn't have to worry the next couple of days.

When not washed out by rain smoke particles can stay in the atmophere for weeks, and therefore travel long distances around the globe. The Times reports this morning that NASA satellites have been tracking smoke originating from forest fires in Alaska as it moved south off the coast of Louisiana and then northward over New York (click for high resolution version of image above) last week. That smoke is still in the atmosphere heading toward Greenland.