DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1530Z August 23, 2013
Western US/Central Plains/Midwest: A large area of light to dense smoke is visible through most of the western US. Wildfire Rim continues to rage as it enters Yosemite National Park in California, creating a lot of heavy smoke moving north through Nevada and the border of Oregon and Idaho. Many other wildfires continue to burn in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah which contribute to the volume of smoke overwhelming the area. The moderate smoke is visible from Montana, Alberta, Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, western Minnesota, eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, Missouri, and east through southern Illinois, western Kentucky and Tennessee. It is difficult to determine at this time how far the smoke extends with the GOES-W imagery. Other areas affected by light density smoke include Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Oregon. Great Lakes: A small band of light density smoke is visible extending from Ontario into Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois making its way southward. This smoke could be a combination of the smoke from the Canadian wildfires in the north and the wildfires currently burning in the western US. Central Canada: An area of light density smoke is visible over the SE area of the Hudson Bay (clouds obscure the other areas of the Bay) and over central Ontario making its way eastward. This smoke could be a combination of the smoke from the Canadian wildfires in the north and the wildfires currently burning in the western US. Oegerle THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SMOKE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES AND SMOKE WHICH HAS BECOME DETACHED FROM THE FIRES AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE SOURCE FIRE..TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST ARE ALSO DESCRIBED. USERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO VIEW A GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF THESE AND OTHER PLUMES WHICH ARE LESS EXTENSIVE AND STILL ATTACHED TO THE SOURCE FIRE 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 ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov