DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z July 9, 2007

Western US:
A large number of wildfires across much of the western US are producing
a large mass of smoke that blankets much of the region. The fires are
most numerous in Nevada, Utah and southern Idaho but additional fires are
seen across California, Oregon, Washington, western Montana, southwest
Colorado and Arizona. The smoke covers most of the northern half of
California and extends eastward across the northern half of Nevada, all
but the southwest corner of Utah, most of Colorado, and the southeastern
half of Wyoming. The area of smoke then turns to the northeast across
the northwest half of Nebraska and southeast South Dakota into southwest
Minnesota. An area of smoke also drops south along the New Mexico/Texas
border area. Much of this area if moderate to dense smoke.

Separate smoke plumes from this main area are also seen from fires
in central Oregon along the Harney/Crook county border. This plume is
very dense and extends to the southeast just reaching the Idaho border.
Another blaze in Chelan county in Washington has a plume of dense smoke
extending to the southeast and east into the eastern portion of the state.

The wildfire in Santa Barbara county in the Sierra Madre Mountains is
producing a moderately dense to dense smoke plume moving north into
San Luis Obispo and south across Santa Barbara reaching the coast. The
thickest smoke is moving north.

A fire in northwest Mohave county is producing a thick plume of smoke
extending to the east across northern Coconino county.

A fire in southeast Flathead county in northwest Montana has a plume of
light to moderately dense smoke extending to the east reaching southwest
Blaine county.

Alaska/Northwest Territories:
Multiple fires, mainly burning across west central Alaska, are producing
areas of moderately dense to dense smoke across west central Alaska
around Galena.  Wildfires around Great Bear Lake are emitting  light
to moderately dense smoke moving northwest across the lake and into the
northwest corner of the Northwest Territories. An area of smoke extends
into the Arctic Ocean near Mackenzie Bay.

Ruminski

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.