DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THRU 0100Z JULY 17, 2005

Alaska/Northwestern Canada:
The fires in this area are producing a significant amount of smoke
across northern/central Alaska and eastward into northern Yukon and
western Northwest Territories as seen in GOES 10 satellite imagery.
The smoke then stretches southward into northern Alberta and Saskatchewan
to around the Lake Athabasca region.

Northeastern Ontario/Western Quebec:
Fires across the region are generating small to moderate size smoke
plumes moving towards the northeast.  The number of fires once again
has increased since yesterday and have been throughout the week.

Southern Idaho/Northern Nevada:
These mostly new fires are beginning to produce large plumes of smoke.
The plumes are moving eastward into western Wyoming and northern Utah.
The fires continue to grow as seen in GOES 12 and 10 satellite imagery.

Central Plains/Upper Midwest/Southern Ontario/Quebec:
Smoke stretches across a large area of the Central Plains and Upper
Midwest including the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, eastern Nebraska,
Missouri Illinois Iowa, southern Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern
Michigan.  The smoke then moves northward into southern Ontario and
Quebec.  The smoke is coming from fires burning in the Central Plains
and left over smoke from the Saskatchewan fires.

Unless otherwise indicated:

Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.

Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.

A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.

Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.