DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z July 8, 2009
Alaska/NW Canada: Much of eastern and central Alaska is covered in smoke due to a large number of fires burning in a wide swath through the state. As the fires flared up in the afternoon and evening the smoke has become more dense and spread to a larger area. The smoke extends eastward to cover much of the Yukon and western Northwest Territory. The smoke also extends across the Kenai Peninsula into the northern Gulf of Alaska and reaches west to Kodiak Island. Pacific Northwest into southern Canadian prairies: An area of aerosol, which is believed to be sulfur dioxide (SO2), was seen in visible imagery before sunset extending across portions of southeast Washungtin and Oregon northeastward into Idaho and western Montana and then wrapping into southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Utah: An area of blowing dust was seen stretching northeast from Millard county and reaching the northern Wasatch. California: A plume of blowing dust was kicked up this evening over northwest San Bernardino county and moving to the northeast. Gulf of Mexico: A broad area of aerosol was seen over the southern Gulf extending from the north coast of the Yucatan east northeast across the Florida straights and extreme southern Florida into the Bahamas. The source and composition of this aerosol is uncertain. Ruminski More information on the areas of smoke described above as well as others can be found at the locations listed below. THE FORMAT OF THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS BEING MODIFIED. IT WILL NO LONGER DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS PLUMES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES. THESE PLUMES ARE DEPICTED IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC FORMATS ON OUR WEB SITE: JPEG: http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/hms.html GIS: http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm KML: http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/kml.html THIS TEXT PRODUCT WILL CONTINUE TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SMOKE WHICH HAVE BECOME DETACHED FROM AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE SOURCE FIRE, TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. IT WILL ALSO STILL INCLUDE DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOWING DUST. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THESE CHANGES OR THE SMOKE TEXT PRODUCT IN GENERAL SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov