DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0115Z AUGUST 23, 2008
Upper Mississippi River Valley/Upper Great Lakes: Remnant smoke with some light SO2 from the Kasatochi volcano eruption (on its 2nd pass around the globe) can be seen along and near convergence boundaries and fronts to the east of a strong upper low over E ND. Light smoke/So2 can be seen along a boundary that extends from NC KS to Omaha,NE across all of NW half of IA and S and E portions of MN, it is particularly dense from St. Cloud MN to Duluth and north into the boundary waters of MN. This area is moving E quickly. A pocket of smoke can be seen in the warm sector of the circulation moving north in southerly flow across Chicagoland to Green Bay and covers Lakes Superior and Michigan including the UP before it mixes with weather clouds across Ontario. Kansas/Oklahoma: Numerous agricultural/prescribed fires have been producing light puffs of smoke that have lead to a general low level haziness across much of the Central 1/3rd of KS and OK. Montana/South Dakota: The Drga fire in eastern Custer county has been particularly active today producing a long 50km wide plume of dense smoke that extends further SE than Pierre, SD and across I-90 near the crossing of the Missouri River with a small flag or NE extension toward Aberdeen. A new fire along the Yellowstone/Musselshell county line in the central Bull Mtns is producing a 25km long plume of thin to moderate smoke that extends across the county. Wyoming: The Gunbarrel fire is producing moderate to dense smoke that is moving E but covers the entire valley between the fire and the Big Horn Mtns from the MT/WY state line to the furthest southern tip of the Big Horns. A fire between exits 173 and 187 in eastern Sweetwater county has produced a plume of very thin smoke that extends due east along the interstate into central Carbon county toward Elk Mountain. The plume is about 10km wide. Idaho: A small area of thin to moderate smoke from the Willow WFU fire in far N Fremont county, ID is remaining in the lower elevations along the state line and covering Upper Red Rock Lake. The South Barker fire continues to pump out locally dense smoke that has remained rather stationary across the central portion of covering about 90km by 90km of N Elmore, E Boise, and SW Custer counties. Though with some movement aloft, there is some thin to moderate smoke that is beginning to move more eastward. Nevada/S Idaho: The East Slide Rock Ridge complex continues to produce moderately dense smoke that is fanning out as it expands over SC ID. It currently is moving NE and covers nearly all of Twin Falls and Cassia counties, ID and affecting small portions of Northern Elko county, NV and far SE Owyhee county, ID and far NW Box Elder county in UT. Utah: A fire in S UT, in the Dixie National Forest very near Bryce Canyon NP along the Kane/Garfield county line is producing thin to moderate smoke that is fanning out from S to ESE across Kane county and is about 60km W to E across the county. However, winds have shifted in the last hour or so near the fire and a distinct narrow plume and be seen moving ENE now across the NP. Arizona: The Mill fire in northern Coconino county, AZ is producing a 7km wide plume of thin to moderate smoke that is moving ENE nearing Jacob Lake. A new fire in the eastern portion of Kaibab Nat'l Forest just south of the southern Rim of the Grand Canyon is producing thin smoke that extends ENE almost ot the Navajo county line south of US-160. NW California: A small area of thin to moderate smoke can be seen in a 15km radius around the new active area of the Panther fire in W Siskiyou county. A new fire along the far NW tip of Lake county in Mendocino county is producing a 5km wide plume of thin smoke that is moving due W and extends to US-101. NW Territories: Numerous fires along the banks of the eastern portions of Great Slave Lake that have been burning for the last few weeks, have intensified today and have begun to produce moderately dense smoke that was moving due north in plumes that were about 20 to 40km wide. Weather clouds began to block detection of these plumes toward the end of the day. However, 4 or 5 new fires developed over the wilderness due SE of the others in the far SE portion of the territory. They all extend toward the NE and is very narrow yet quickly lengthening plume...possibly indicative of strong Swly winds. Gallina