DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1530Z September 09, 2007

Idaho/Montana/Wyoming:
Smoke from the wildfires burning primarily in central Idaho was visible
this morning in visible satellite imagery moving mainly to the south
and southeast across the southern half of Idaho, southwestern Montana,
and western Wyoming.  Cloudiness across the remainder of Montana, and
a good portion of Wyoming was preventing satellite detection of any
smoke in these areas.  The smoke was thin to moderately dense in most
locations in southern Idaho, southwestern Montana, western Wyoming but
was moderately dense to locally dense in the valleys of central Idaho
as well as a relatively narrow swath over southwestern Idaho.

California/Nevada/Utah/Wyoming/Colorado/Central Plains:
A west to east elongated area of moderately dense to dense smoke extends
from northern California just east of Ukiah to just north of Reno Nevada
to extreme southeastern Idaho and the Great Salt Lake in northern
Utah. This smoke, mainly from the Moonlight Fire in the northeastern
Sierra Nevada Mountains, was spreading both in an eastward direction and
westward direction from the fire. The thinner smoke appeared to stretch
as far east as northeastern Colorado, southeastern Wyoming, and across
Nebraska into the Central Plains although significant cloudiness in
this area greatly hindered smoke detection. Thinner smoke also extended
westward well off the coast over the eastern Pacific Ocean. Some thin
smoke was also visible from the Lick Fire located in west central
California in the Henry W. Coe State Park south of San Jose moving to
the north and also fanning out to the east and west in the process.
This relatively thin smoke was apparently combining with smoke from the
Moonlight Fire over north central California.

Alaska:
Cloudiness has now nearly covered a large fire burning east of Umiat and
north of the Brooks Range in north central Alaska.  Just prior to this,
smoke was detected moving mainly in a northward direction toward the
north coast and Arctic Ocean and fanning out to the east and west while
doing so.

JS

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.