Why was the sun so red in Chicago area? Heres what happened NBC Chicago [Video]

Many in the Chicago area noticed a bright red sunrise Monday morning, but what caused the particularly colorful scene?

Turns out, it was likely from wildfire smoke lingering in the area.

Smoke from wildfires burning across Canada continued to make for hazy skies in Illinois Monday after it first began moving into the area last week.

Hazy skies due to the wildfires also persisted over the weekend and early Monday morning skies were still hazy, leading the sun to rise with a deep red hue.

“In addition to filtering the sunshine at times, this can result in spectacularly colorful sunrises & sunsets,” the National Weather Service reported. That’s because the smoke particles “scatter shorter wavelengths of light,” including blue, purple, green and yellow, leaving longer wavelengths like red and orange to break through.

The phenomenon was also noted in 2023, when smoke from Canadian wildfires also made its way into the region.

NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman …