Where is the Smoke in Northern Colorado Coming From?

When you woke up this morning, you might have thought your neighbor had the smoker fired up or was enjoying a large bonfire, given the smoke in the air.

As soon as I slid the back door open to let my dog outside for his morning potty patrol, the stench of smoke smacked me right in the face. I couldn't see how bad the smoke in Northern Colorado really was until the sun started to come up.

Northern Coloradans Wake Up to Smoke

Residents across Northern Colorado took to social media to ask what was burning, as the smoke seemed to have taken over every inch of the region. With the high winds yesterday, there were a lot of assumptions that a wildfire was blazing somewhere in Weld County, but that wasn't the case.

READ MORE: High Winds Could Shut Off Power Again in Northern Colorado

The smoke in the air is coming from a large grass fire burning in Nebraska. The massive grass fire started around 8:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 12, and has burned approximately 330,000 acres in four counties across the Nebraska panhandle, according to ruralradio.com.

Health Officials Issue Air Quality Alert in Colorado

The shift of winds brought the smell and the cloud of smoke into Colorado on Friday morning, prompting an air quality alert from the National Weather Service. The air quality alert states that if the air is thick with smoke, or becomes thick in your area, you should remain indoors, especially those who may have heart disease, respiratory illnesses, or young children and older adults.

READ MORE: Be Prepared For Hail in Northern Colorado

Currently, much of Northern Colorado is under a Red Flag Warning for daylight hours of Friday and Saturday. The possibility of Xcel Energy Public Safety Power Shutoffs is also possible for thousands on the Front Range on Saturday, too. Read more about Xcel Energy's PSPS power shutoffs HERE.