DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1515Z July 19, 2009

Alaska/Canada/North Central US:
Moderately dense to dense smoke continues to emanate from a number
of fires burning across portions of Alaska and the Yukon province of
northwestern Canada. Although cloud cover made it difficult to assess
the full extent of the coverage, smoke extended east into the Northwest
Territories and northwest to the Chukchi Sea.

Southeast Ontario/Northern Great Lakes:
A ribbon of haze was noted moving south across southeast Ontario and the
northern Great Lakes.  Additional haze was detected over eastern Missouri.
These areas may contain remnant smoke from fires in Alaska as well as SO2.

Southern Florida/Northwest Caribbean/Bahamas/Southern Gulf of Mexico:
A large but diffuse area Saharan dust was apparent stretching from the
southern Bahamas to Cuba and the northwestern Caribbean and across the
southern half of the Gulf of Mexico.

Southwest U.S.
Residual light smoke from fires over Utah and Colorado was located moving
southeast across southern Colorado into northern New Mexico while another
area of light smoke from fires in Utah, Arizona and possibly California
was seen over the Four Corners region.

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

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.