Here's where the haze and smoke seen west of Houston is coming from

Travis Herzog Image
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Travis Herzog on the source of smoke detected in SW Houston
ABC13 chief meteorologist Travis Herzog fills you in on the source of the smoke plume that was detected in the western parts of the Houston area.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Smell the smoke? See the haze? We've found the source.

On Tuesday, ABC13 viewers reported seeing a hazy sky west of Houston.

Turns out there's a large burn occurring on Matagorda Island in Calhoun County, which is part of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The Facebook page of the wildlife refuge posted about the fire, which appeared to have started Monday.

Light southwesterly winds pushed that smoke all the way to the I-10 corridor, from Sealy to Katy.

A fisherman, Oscar Rodriguez, shared an image of the glowing fire from San Antonio Bay.

From a fishing vessel on San Antonio Bay, a camera captured the fire burning at Matagorda Island. (Photo: Oscar Rodriguez)

So what happens with the wind? It turns out of the north, which should push the smoke back into the Gulf on Wednesday.