DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z September 10, 2007
Alaska: The bright fire in the central North Slope, north of the Brooks Range, is under dense cloud cover so it is difficult to see its smoke plume. However surface reports of smoke near the north coast of Alaska suggest that the plume extends from the fire toward the north and northeast. Last night the smoke was moderate to dense and tonight it is likely to be at least this dense since the fire continues to have a strong satellite signature even under cloud cover. Idaho and Montana: The numerous persistent fires in central Idaho are producing dense smoke that is moving southward and southeastward. Most of Idaho except extreme northern Idaho is covered by smoke, although southeastern Idaho has only light smoke. Some of the light smoke extends into southern Montana. In addition, in Montana fires in Flathead County and Teton County are producing moderate smoke plumes that extend eastward and northwestward respectively. California and Nevada: In California, the fire along the Santa Clara County/Stanislaus County border is producing mostly light smoke that extends westward over the Pacific. The Moonlight Fire in the northeastern Sierra Nevada Mountains is producing very abundant dense smoke moving primarily northeastward into Nevada but also spreading in all directions and covering much of northern California (excluding extreme northern California) and northern Nevada (excluding extreme northwestern Nevada). Elsewhere in California (especially central California) there is haze that could be mixed with remnant smoke from previous days Moonlight or Santa Clara/Stanislaus fires. Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Central Plains: Mostly light with some moderate smoke covers much of northern Utah, Wyoming, and extreme northern and northeastern Colorado. This smoke is from both the Moonlight Fire in northern California and the numerous fires in central Idaho. The smoke might extend even farther reaching the Plains but cloud cover prevents its detection there. Oregon and Washington: A fire in southern Polk County, Oregon that had a light smoke plume extending westward well over the Pacific seems to have become less strong in the past few hours and its plume also seems to have somewhat dissipated. A fire in Chelan County, Washington is also less noticeable in satellite imagery in the past few hours and its southwestward plume has also partly dissipated.