DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z June 18, 2015
SMOKE: Alaska/Yukon: An area of light density remnant smoke was observed over the coastline of southern Alaska and the Gulf of Alaska. This area of remnant smoke originated from wildfires in southern Alaska and western Yukon. Wildfires in southern Alaska and the western portions of Yukon continue to produce light to moderate density smoke. A low pressure system centered roughly 250km off the western coast of Graham Island was helping the majority of this smoke over southern Alaska and western Yukon to move to the southwest from the smokes origin. Ontario/Northern Plains: A elongated stream of thin remnant smoke was seen stretching from the Northern Plains to the border of Ontario and Quebec. The thin remnant smoke was moving to the southeast through North Dakota, northern Minnesota and an area spanning from southwestern Ontario to northeastern Ontario. Embedded within this region of thin smoke was an area of moderate density remnant smoke over central North Dakota. The remnant smoke originated from wildfires that have been burning for weeks in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Northwest Territories: Two significant light to moderate density smoke plumes were observed to the southeast of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. Cloud cover partially obscured these smoke plumes which were moving to the southeast. Arizona: Three moderate density smoke plumes from wildfires in central Arizona were seen in southeast Pinal county, northeastern Gila county and northwestern Gila county. The smoke produced from these wildfires was primarily moving to the southeast. Southeast US: A moderately sized area of thin smoke is seen drifting south/southeast along and off the coast of the Southeast US, covering coastal portions of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The smoke originates from agricultural burns that have been taking place in the Southeast US and Lower Mississippi Valley regions over the last couple of days. There may also be some elevated dust mixed with the area of smoke. DUST Gulf of Mexico: A large area of Saharan dust continues to be visible this evening moving west from the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico before being pulled northward across the western Gulf by Tropical Depression Bill, now over north Texas. The optically thick dust appears to extend north over coastal Texas, Louisiana, southwest Mississippi, and southern Arkansas though cloud cover likely obscures some of its extent. Midwest US: An area of aerosol that is believed to be mostly elevated dust could be seen over parts of southern Minnesota, northwest Iowa, eastern South Dakota, and northeast Nebraska this morning through a break in the clouds. The origin of this possible dust is not entirely clear based on aerosol models. Pacific Northwest: An area of aerosol seen in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho and western Montana is thought to be elevated dust from Asia. Cloud coverage along the Pacific Northwest coastline as well as Idaho into Montana has obscured the full extent of this aerosol. Central Canada: Areas of aerosol are seen over northern Manitoba, southeast Nunavut, and central Hudson Bay as well as stretching from central Saskatchewan westward across Alberta to northeast British Columbia. Aerosol was also seen drifting south across the Northwest Territories near Great Slave Lake and northern Alberta. Most of this aerosol is thought to be elevated dust that likely has an Asian origin. Most of the dust is being pulled southward across Canada by a large weather system. -Cronin/Sheffler 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.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/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