DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0100Z December 16, 2017
SMOKE: Southern California/Northeast Pacific Ocean... The wildfires activity throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties was seen continuing to emit thick smoke this afternoon. A wind shift at around 1900Z is the cause for the thick smoke observed primarily over Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, while some moderate smoke was observed over 100 miles off shore and moving off to the southeast. The extent of the remnant smoke spans much of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Yesterday's smoke that was present southwest of California has now moved north due to a cyclone north of Hawaii. The northward extent is about Graham Island off the British Columbia coast. Some of the northern portions of this plume may also have marine aerosol incorporated among the smoke. Much of this smoke is moving around a high pressure center a couple hundred miles off the southern Oregon coast. South Dakota/Nebraska... Through cloud cover, the smoke plume associated with the Legion Lake Fire in the Black Hills of the South Dakota. The smoke plume was seen moving off toward the southeast. Central CONUS... From Missouri to Texas, a handful of thin smoke plumes were observed this afternoon. Many of these smoke plumes were moving off toward the east or southeast. Southern Florida... Fire activity south of Lake Okeechobee was seen producing minor amounts of light smoke this afternoon. Another fire in or around the Avon Park Air Force Range in south-central Florida was also seen producing a smoke plume. All smoke plumes were observed moving off toward the east. DUST: Central Baja California... A thin area of dust was seen southwest from central Baja California offshore about 200 miles into the Pacific Ocean. Another region of blowing dust was seen moving over the central Gulf of California off of the central coast of the Mexican state of Sonora. Caribbean Sea... A layer of thin to moderately dense Saharan Dust was observed moving eastward over the Caribbean Sea. UNKNOWN AEROSOL: South of Greenland to off the North Carolina coast... An area of aerosol extending from south of Greenland to just off the North Carolina coast was observed throughout the day. The aerosol in question could be a mix of smoke, sulfate, and marine aerosols Hosley 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