Saturday, September 10, 2005

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z September 11, 2005

Mid-Atlantic region to the Great Lakes region and middle/lower Mississippi
Valley:
The large mass of thin smoke from active fires earlier this week in Idaho
and Montana has apparently become trapped in weak flow under a sprawling
ridge of high pressure over the Northern and Central portion of the US
extending eastward into the Mid-Atlantic states. As time progresses, it is
becoming more difficult to distinguish between the overall haze covering
this area and the leftover trapped smoke. Evening visible imagery did
show the thickest density of haze/smoke covered an area stretching from
the MD/PA border southwestward to the western Carolinas. The thickest
haze/smoke then extended westward in a thin band across southern West
Virginia right across the Ohio River Valley. The smoke/haze extended
farther to the west where it joined up with a north-south elongated rather
dense area of smoke/haze stretching from the lower Mississippi Valley
northward to the western Great Lakes region. In addition to the leftover
smoke from the earlier western fires and overall haze across this region,
a significant number of primarily agricultural burns over the central
and lower Mississippi Valley region were producing numerous smaller smoke
plumes which were also contributing to the overall hazy/smoky appearance
to the airmass on evening visible satellite imagery across this area.

Manitoba/Ontario Provinces of south central Canada:
The smoke seen earlier this morning across south central Canada was no
longer visible this evening due to cloudiness overspreading the region.
	JS

 


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.