DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1745Z August 20, 2010

Southwestern Canada to Eastern Canada/Northeastern US/Western Atlantic:
Smoke from the ongoing large fires in British Columbia Province of
southwestern Canada continues to cover a very large area with thin density
smoke extending from British Columbia eastward over much of south central
Canada to southeastern Canada. Some of the leading edge of the thinner
smoke had also brushed the northern tier of the US, especially over
the region from northern Montana to northern Minnesota and northern New
England. Embedded moderately dense to dense smoke extends from British
Columbia eastward to western Ontario Province. Some of the moderately
dense smoke also has spread northeastward around an area of low pressure
into central Canada around Hudson Bay. An additional large swath of thin
smoke likely leftover from the British Columbia fires extends from the
Great Lakes region eastward and southeastward over the Middle Atlantic
states and a portion of the Northeast including southern New England to
off the coast. Cloudiness covers the region where large fires existed
recently over northern Saskatchewan Province of west central Canada. Some
of the smoke from Saskatchewan Province southeastward to northern New
England may have some contribution from the Saskatchewan fires.

JS


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.