DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1600Z July 9, 2007
Western US: A large mass of moderately dense to dense smoke from numerous wildfires burning across the Western US was visible this morning in an arc shaped region extending northeastward from central and northern California across southern Oregon, northern Nevada, and southern Idaho, then southeastward across southwestern Wyoming, much of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico to portions of the central and southern Plains. Within this large region, thicker patches of smoke were noted moving to the west and northwest across northern California and southern Oregon from the fires in the Plumas National Forest in northern Plumas County. More thick smoke was noted over southeastern Oregon and southern Idaho spreading southeastward into Utah and western Colorado from active smoke producing fires located in the Ochoco and Malheur National Forests in central Oregon. Fires in northwestern Nevada just west of Winnemucca and southeast of Jackpot in northeastern Nevada, along with fires in the Sawtooth National Forest in southern Idaho were also contributing some smoke to this large area. Active smoke producing fires continue to burn in the eastern portions of Millard and Beaver Counties of Utah which resulted in a swath of thick smoke which moved southeastward across southern and southeastern Utah and over the 4 corners (AZ-NM-CO-UT) into northwestern New Mexico. A fire in central Santa Barbara County of southern California was producing a thin to locally moderately dense smoke plume which was moving to the north into the San Joaquin Valley. Finally, thin to locally moderately dense smoke was moving to the northeast into southwestern Utah from fires burning in or near the Virgin Mountains of far northwestern Arizona. Alaska/Northwest Territories: A band of thin to moderately dense (possibly locally dense) smoke from fires which were burning primarily in central Alaska stretched from west central to north central Alaska. Thick smoke from fires in the north central Yukon province of northwestern Canada was fanning out in both a northwesterly and southeasterly direction. Somewhat thinner smoke from these fires appeared to drift into northeastern Alaska. Wildfires around Great Bear Lake of the Northwest Territories are emitting moderately dense to dense smoke which was moving to the northwest across the lake and into the northwest corner of the Northwest Territories. Smoke also extends into the Arctic Ocean near Mackenzie Bay. JS