DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0400Z UTC August 12, 2007
Northwest and Northcentral U.S. and adjacent regions of extreme southern Canada: The most numerous and largest smoke producing fires are in Idaho and western Montana, but fires in northern Oregon, southern and eastern Washington, and northwestern Wyoming are also contributing smoke. Light to moderate to dense smoke covers most of eastern and central Washington, northeastern Oregon, extreme southeastern British Columbia, southern Alberta, almost all of Idaho and Montana, northwestern Wyoming, almost all of North Dakota, northern Minnesota and part of southwestern Ontario. The largest area of dense smoke is in central Idaho and western Montana although fires in southeastern Idaho and northwestern Wyoming are also producing dense smoke. Smoke is moving toward the east or northeast but the continual new smoke emissions are keeping the overall area of smoke mostly stationary. California and Nevada: Moderate to dense smoke from the large persistent fire in Santa Barbara extends toward the northeast. The Santa Barbara fire's smoke becomes mixed with moderate smoke from the fire near the Kings/Fresno/Monterey County border region first observed yesterday evening. The smoke continues moving toward the north northeast, becoming mostly light as it moves into western and northern Nevada and then joins with the huge area of smoke in the northwest. Southeastern and Southcentral U.S. and adjacent waters: Mostly light smoke originally from the fires in Oregon, Idaho and Montana is mixed with haze. The smoke/haze mix occurs in a swath that covers eastern Texas, moves across the northern Gulf of Mexico and into northern Florida, southern Alabama and most of Georgia, and then continues northward into the Carolinas and nearby Atlantic Ocean. Moderate smoke occurs mostly over northern Florida and coastal Georgia and coastal South Carolina. The overall area of smoke is quasi-stationary. In addition to this large area of smoke, there are several individual smoke plumes in Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas that extend southward. These smoke plumes are light to moderate except for the moderate to dense plume in Bibb County, Alabama that extends well into northern Dallas County. Ohio and Kentucky: Throughout the day areas of light smoke have moved eastward through Ohio and Kentucky. These are also a remnant of the fires in Oregon, Idaho and western Montana. Michigan: Any smoke from the fire in Luce County has been difficult to observe in satellite imagery today due to cloud cover but this large fire is likely to be producing smoke.