Why smoke sometimes lingers during fireworks displays
Independence Day firework shows can go up in smoke if the weather conditions aren't right -- even if there isn't a cloud in the sky.
By
Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jun 23, 2025 12:21 PM EDT
What is the relationship between weather and fireworks, and what you need to consider when setting off your backyard display?
As the sun sets on Independence Day, the night sky becomes illuminated with colorful flashes of fireworks displays from coast to coast. But when a certain weather condition develops, dazzling displays could go up in smoke in a matter of minutes.
Fireworks come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have something in common: The explosion that causes the colorful cascades of light leaves behind smoke, and high concentrations of that smoke can build up in the sky when it's unable to clear quickly.
This smoke could easily ruin a big fireworks display, especially during the grand finale at the end of the show when dozens of fireworks explode in quick succession in the same area of the sky. What causes this phenomenon?
Some people may think that smoke lingers after fireworks explode because it comes from "cheap" fireworks. That is a myth. The cause of the lingering smoke can be traced back to a weather phenomenon known as an inversion.
Fireworks go off over the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Thursday, July 4, 2019. At last year's big show in the nation's capital, heavy amounts of smoke lingered in the air during and after the display. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
“An inversion develops when a pocket of warmer air is sitting over top of a pocket of cooler air. Instead of air being able to rise like normal, the air will get trapped underneath the inversion and hovers near the ground,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Thompson explained.
Inversions typically develop on calm nights as the air near the ground cools. Without any wind, the stagnant air can cause pollution to gather and sit in the lowest part of the atmosphere within a few hundred feet of the ground.
“The problem gets magnified during fireworks displays because winds are typically pretty calm under an inversion, which allows the smoke to build up near the surface without any mechanism to blow it away from the launching area,” Thompson said.
Fireworks explode over Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol along the National Mall in Washington, Wednesday, July 4, 2018, during the Fourth of July celebration. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Even if the show is put on pause for a few minutes, without any wind, the smoke will be very slow to disperse.
This exact scenario occurred in Washington, D.C., during the annual fireworks display at the National Mall in 2019. A veil of smoke gradually developed throughout the show as the smoky air had nowhere to go. By the end of the event, spectators mainly saw clouds illuminated by flashes of color, rather than vibrant explosions in the sky.
People look on as fireworks are obstructed by smoke during Independence Day celebrations, Thursday, July 4, 2019, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The smoke was so bad that hundreds of people at the National Mall packed up and left before the show even ended.
The smoke lingered in the air over the nation’s capital for hours after the display came to an end, creating some health concerns that lasted throughout the night. The air quality monitors positioned across D.C. recorded the highest pollution levels in years.
Inversions can also trap smoke in sports arenas when fireworks are set off just minutes before a game starts.
One extreme example occurred in 2003 when fireworks were set off before the second game of a minor league baseball doubleheader. Thick smoke from the fireworks lingered for more than 45 minutes and was so dense that the game had to be called, according to ESPN.
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News / Recreation
Why smoke sometimes lingers during fireworks displays
Independence Day firework shows can go up in smoke if the weather conditions aren't right -- even if there isn't a cloud in the sky.
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jun 23, 2025 12:21 PM EDT
What is the relationship between weather and fireworks, and what you need to consider when setting off your backyard display?
As the sun sets on Independence Day, the night sky becomes illuminated with colorful flashes of fireworks displays from coast to coast. But when a certain weather condition develops, dazzling displays could go up in smoke in a matter of minutes.
Fireworks come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have something in common: The explosion that causes the colorful cascades of light leaves behind smoke, and high concentrations of that smoke can build up in the sky when it's unable to clear quickly.
This smoke could easily ruin a big fireworks display, especially during the grand finale at the end of the show when dozens of fireworks explode in quick succession in the same area of the sky. What causes this phenomenon?
Some people may think that smoke lingers after fireworks explode because it comes from "cheap" fireworks. That is a myth. The cause of the lingering smoke can be traced back to a weather phenomenon known as an inversion.
Fireworks go off over the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Thursday, July 4, 2019. At last year's big show in the nation's capital, heavy amounts of smoke lingered in the air during and after the display. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
“An inversion develops when a pocket of warmer air is sitting over top of a pocket of cooler air. Instead of air being able to rise like normal, the air will get trapped underneath the inversion and hovers near the ground,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Thompson explained.
Inversions typically develop on calm nights as the air near the ground cools. Without any wind, the stagnant air can cause pollution to gather and sit in the lowest part of the atmosphere within a few hundred feet of the ground.
“The problem gets magnified during fireworks displays because winds are typically pretty calm under an inversion, which allows the smoke to build up near the surface without any mechanism to blow it away from the launching area,” Thompson said.
Fireworks explode over Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol along the National Mall in Washington, Wednesday, July 4, 2018, during the Fourth of July celebration. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Even if the show is put on pause for a few minutes, without any wind, the smoke will be very slow to disperse.
This exact scenario occurred in Washington, D.C., during the annual fireworks display at the National Mall in 2019. A veil of smoke gradually developed throughout the show as the smoky air had nowhere to go. By the end of the event, spectators mainly saw clouds illuminated by flashes of color, rather than vibrant explosions in the sky.
People look on as fireworks are obstructed by smoke during Independence Day celebrations, Thursday, July 4, 2019, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The smoke was so bad that hundreds of people at the National Mall packed up and left before the show even ended.
The smoke lingered in the air over the nation’s capital for hours after the display came to an end, creating some health concerns that lasted throughout the night. The air quality monitors positioned across D.C. recorded the highest pollution levels in years.
Inversions can also trap smoke in sports arenas when fireworks are set off just minutes before a game starts.
One extreme example occurred in 2003 when fireworks were set off before the second game of a minor league baseball doubleheader. Thick smoke from the fireworks lingered for more than 45 minutes and was so dense that the game had to be called, according to ESPN.
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