DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1600Z August 27, 2006
Washington/Oregon/Southwestern Canada/Northern Idaho/Western Montana: The large fires in Okanogan County of Washington continue to burn and along with another significant fire slightly to the southwest in Chelan County are responsible for a large mass of moderately dense to locally dense smoke (closer to the fires) which has spread northward this morning into south central British Columbia of southwestern Canada. A thinner swath of smoke was also visible moving in a southeastward direction across far eastern Washington and over the Idaho panhandle and western Montana. South Central Idaho/Southeastern Washington: Localized patches of moderately dense smoke were noted scattered across this region due to a number of fires. Montana/Wyoming/Northern Plains/Upper Mississippi Valley: A large amount of cloudiness is present over a portion of this region hindering smoke detection. In the relatively cloud free spots morning visible satellite imagery did indicate some possible detached patches of thin smoke over eastern Montana and extreme northern Wyoming as well as across southern North Dakota, central and southern Minnesota, and central Wisconsin to Lake Michigan. California: For a number of days now the fires in Siskiyou and Trinity counties in northern California continue to emit very locally dense smoke which has had a history of spreading westward during the overnight and morning hours and across Humboldt County. The thickest smoke is especially visible in the valleys of southwestern Siskiyou, northern Trinity, and northern Humboldt Counties. Some of the thinner smoke appears to have drifted northward into far southwestern Oregon. Nevada: A small thin smoke plume was noted this morning moving to the southwest from an active fire in central Lincoln County of southeastern Nevada. JS