Houston is currently shrouded in a smoky haze. That is why

After the rain stopped in the Houston area, a thick, cloudy haze appears to have taken over this week. In addition to hot and humid conditions in the area, Houstonians have noticed widespread smog that makes it difficult to see distant buildings or the blue of the sky. On Reddit, users reported seeing the smoky haze in downtown Houston, Jersey Village and the Willowbrook area. Some reported also experiencing unpleasant reactions due to reduced air quality.

“There must be something in the air that’s killing me,” one user noted. “From downtown right now, the TMC is in the fog and I can barely see the Peripheral Bridge. Usually the Perimeter Bridge is very clear, and on a clear day I can also see the Fred Hartman Bridge,” commented another.

On X, the conversation about noticeable haze continued. “I don’t know if this is happening throughout Houston, but there is a very thick haze around Jersey Village in the northwest today,” one user posted. It turns out the smoke isn’t coming from Houston. Matt Lanza of Space City Weather explained that the source of the haze is from fires currently burning in Central America. “Smoke from agricultural fires in Central America is being blown north, creating a rather miserable aesthetic in Houston,” Lanza posted on X.

Lanza also shared a satellite image depicting smoke covering the majority of Texas. “The amount of smoke carried from Central America to the South is simply miserable,” he wrote.

According to the National Weather Service, agricultural fires in Mexico and Central America often occur in April and May. Smoke from the fires can spread across the Gulf of Mexico and into Texas. Humidity also contributed to the limited visibility, with dew points hovering in the mid-70s this week, according to Eric Berger of Space City Weather. Fortunately, the humidity should disappear by Thursday evening before drier air moves into the region on Friday, Berger said.

This is not the first time smoke from wildfires has entered the Bayou City. In February, smoke from historic wildfires in the Panhandle also blew into the region.