DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1700Z August 23, 2015
SMOKE Western/Central US and Western Canada: Enormous areas of smoke, ranging from light to heavy densities, are visible across a majority of the western and central US. The heaviest smoke in the US is visible originating from the wildfire complexes in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Medium-density smoke is visible consistently through California and Nevada (moving north), Oregon (moving NE), Washington (moving north and east), British Columbia (moving north), and through Idaho and Montana, where the smoke continues eastward through Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Light smoke is visible in Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, and Coahuila, Mexico. This pattern of smoke continues to move NE across the border into central and eastern Canada. This smoke originates from the wildfires continuing to burn in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Idaho, and Montana. A seperate plume of light density smoke is visible moving SE in the NW Territories border, mirroring the Mackenzie River. This remnant smoke originates from the fires currently burning in Siberia. Central/Eastern Canada: A large area of remnant smoke originating from the wildfires in the western US is visible crossing the border into central and eastern Canada. The heaviest area of smoke is located in Ontario, Quebec, and Anticosti Island moving NE towards the Atlantic Ocean. Medium smoke is visible in Saskatchewan, Nunavut, Manitoba, Hudson Bay, Ontario, Quebec, NewFoundland and Labrador, Anticosti Island, St. Pierre and Miquelon. AEROSOLS: Southeastern US/Atlantic Ocean: A heavy haze of unknown aerosols are visible off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia this morning. The plumes are relatively stationary, and appear at sunrise and continue past 1600Z. 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.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