DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1500Z September 19, 2009
Northern Plains/Great Lakes: Remnant smoke from fires in S BC over a week ago continues to remain relatively stationary or slowly drifting E or SE from Lake Nipigon in W. Ontario across W Lake Superior and UP of MI covering much of MN (except far NW corner), the W half of WI and N IA. It is around IA that smoke and cirrus mix and make it difficult to determine where one begins and the other ends. N US Rockies: Thin to moderate smoke from the 4 major fires in OR (Boze, Tumblebug Complexes along with the fire in the North Fork John Day Wilderness Area in far NE Grant county and the fire near Steens Mountains of SE Harney county near Diamond, OR). This smoke has moved N to NW and is currently covering a much of the N Rockies and Kettle River/Selkirk Mnts in WA, ID and MT as far south as the Lost River Range, Lemhi Range and Bitterroots into Beaverhead county, MT. Some moderate smoke has already cross the main Rocky front range in Lewis and Clark county MT nearing Great Falls. Arizona/S Utah: Thin smoke from last nights output from a fire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (W of North Rim, AZ) has elongated from the north to south extending from Cedar City, UT through the Pink and White Cliffs south through the source region across the Canyon into the N Kaibab forest on the south rim. This line is beginning to drift eastward and cover the south rim from Grand Canyon to Desert View. 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