DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1530Z August 29, 2009

Canada:
Large numbers of large fires across the southern half of BC have produced
a large area of moderate to dense smoke that covers all of BC and Alberta
with thin to moderately dense smoke creeping into SW Saskatchewan,
though very dense smoke is covering the northern third of the providence.
Some of this dense to moderately dense area is moving NE into the SE
portions of the NW Territories.

A sheen of very thin smoke can be seen only at the extreme sun angles
from GOES-WEST very early in the morning across Hudson Bay extending
S and SW around the large cyclone over the Great Lakes to affect the
Ontario/Manitoba line to S Lake Winnepeg into the the Northern US along
the Red River between ND and MN down to around Grand Forks.

California:
Smoke from Southern California fires (particularly the Station fire)
covers a large portion of the state from Lake Tahoe SSE to the southern
portion of Monterrey Bay and out to sea.  Over the Channel islands thin
smoke becomes moderately dense smoke due to additional contributions of
smoke from yesterday's coastal fires in Baja California. This area is
balled up but has a distinct back edge from Santa Barbara island norther
to Oxnard, where it meets up with dense smoke from this morning's output
over the mountains.

Gallina


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.osdpd.noaa.gov/ml/land/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.