DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0330Z September 23, 2009

Pacific Northwest/Southwest Canada:
Throughout the day, the large area of moderately dense to very dense
remnant smoke seen this morning had pushed rapidly north covering western
Washington, Vancouver Island, and part of the southwestern corner of
the British Columbia mainland. Additional dense smoke continued to
pour from several large wildfires in western Oregon which completely
engulfed the northwestern and west central parts of the state by this
evening. Also in southern British Columbia, several large wildfires had
begun producing narrow but very dense smoke plumes that was spreading
east towards Alberta.

Northern Plains/South Central Canada:
Numerous agricultural fires seen burning today in southern Manitoba,
northwest Minnesota, and northeast North Dakota were producing thin
to moderately dense smoke that was expanding southward into the north
central US.

Southern California:
Several wildfires had ignited or reignited today over southern California
beneath an upper level ridge, including the Guiberson fire in Ventura
county. These fires were producing moderately dense to dense smoke
covering part of the southern California coastline this evening.

-Sheffler


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.