DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z July 14, 2006.
Montana/Wyoming/South Dakota/Nebraska: Major fires erupted today across southeastern Montana just east of Billings MT, northeastern Wyoming just east of Sheridan WY, and western South Dakota close to the Black Hills. The smoke appeared to be very dense in visible satellite imagery as it spread and fanned out as it moved eastward across western and central South Dakota. Some of the smoke may also have become entrained into a frontal system which extended from Minnesota through the Central Plains. Colorado/Kansas: A large wildfire in northeastern Moffat County of northwestern Colorado was emitting a locally dense smoke plume which thinned as it spread eastward across north central Colorado (including the Denver metro area). Some smoke was also apparent farther to the east over far eastern Colorado stretching into western Kansas. This smoke may be partly due to the Moffat County fire as well as detached smoke from the large fires farther to the southwest including the enormous one in San Bernardino County of southern California. Western and Southwestern US(Including California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico): The massive fire that erupted over southwestern San Bernardino county just north of Palm Springs continues to produce a massive dense smoke plume that extended mainly in a northeastward direction across southern Nevada including the Las Vegas metro area, and into southwestern Utah and northern Arizona. Recent visible images also seem to indicate that the smoke has also begun to spread to the southwest across western Riverside County and could begin to affect more densely populated areas between the southeastern suburbs of Los Angeles and the northern suburbs of San Diego. Farther to the northeast significant fires were also detected over east central Mohave County and northern Coconino County of northwestern Arizona as well as central Lincoln and central White Pine Counties of eastern Nevada. All of these fires were emitting locally very dense batches of smoke which were generally moving in an eastward or northeastward direction. These fires along with the huge fire in San Bernardino County were likely responsible for a very large mass of moderately dense smoke which covered southern Utah, northern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico. Finally, another very large wildfire near the border of Stanislaus and Santa Clara Counties of west central California was responsible for a locally very dense area of smoke which was generally moving in a north-northeasterly direction toward the northern Sierra Nevada Range. Somewhat thinner smoke from this fire had also spread northeastward across the central Sierras and the Lake Tahoe region and into central and northern Nevada. More smoke associated with this fire had also circulated southward across the San Joaquin Valley. Apparently, even more smoke from this fire seems to have been caught up in the marine layer along and offshore of the central CA coast during the day and has now possibly moved back inland to the northeast across central California around the San Francisco-Oakland vicinity. Michigan/Western Great Lakes Region: A possible batch of leftover smoke from yesterday's active fires over southeastern Manitoba and western Ontario Provinces of south central Canada may be contributing to the overall haze noted across portions of far northern lower Michigan, the UP of Michigan and Lake Superior. Thick clouds now cover south central Canada making additional fire and smoke detection difficult in that area. JS