DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2345Z 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 and can be seen extending from NE Ontario (James Bay) SW across the NW half of Lake Superior covering the MN arrowhead, UP of MI and N WI. Broken cirrus and altocumulus overcast skies in S MN and C WI make detection of the southern edge of the smoke pocket nearly impossible at this time. Very high Plains (MT/Albta./Sask). 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 continued to move NW and W across the high plains of Alberta and MT and is currently covering covering a 50km wide area extending from 53N along the Alberta/Saskatchewan boarder through central MT from Blaine/Phillips county to Wheatland to Yellowstone NP into the NE tip/corner of ID in Fremont county. 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