DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1500Z September 3, 2009
Much of US and Southern Canada: Residual, mainly light, smoke, originating primarily from large fires burning in central and southern California, Utah, northeastern Oregon, and southern British Columbia covered much of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan before forming a narrow band across southern Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador. The smoke was moderately dense in portions of Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan. Residual light smoke covered much of the US Plains and Great Lakes states as well as the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee Valleys in addition to much of the Gulf of Mexico. Within this region a narrow band of moderately dense smoke covered portions of the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. Moderately dense smoke was also present in the vicinity of the Station and Big Meadow fires as well as northwestern Arizona while a larger area of light smoke covered the southern half of California and much of Nevada and Utah. 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