Eli5: How is the smoke from the wildfires able to travel so far without disappearing?

Question

(Might be wrong flair) Smoke from smaller campfires, house fires, etc go away after a while. Even though there is so much more smoke from the wildfires, how is it still able to travel across multiple states without going away?

Edit: Dissipate, not dissappear

In: 33

Answer 1

This is due to weather more than anything.

Typically the heat from the fire helps carry smoke high into the atmosphere where it effects people less. Right now the weather patterns are holding the smoke low and preventing it from rising above us.