DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z July 24, 2020
SMOKE: Western U.S… A large area of thin density smoke was seen over northern and Central California, western and northern Nevada, southern and eastern Oregon, and western and central Idaho. The smoke also was present off the coast of northern and central California. The smoke was due primarily to at least 4 wildfires burning in northeastern California including the July Complex, the Modoc Lightning Fires, the Gold Fire, and the Hog Fire. Moderate to thick density smoke was visible near and to the east and northeast of these fires affecting northeastern California as well as a portion of southern Oregon and northwestern Nevada. Southeastern Montana/Western Dakotas… A rather large fire in southeastern Montana was producing moderate to thick density smoke which fanned out and thinned in density as it spread to the east and northeast covering southeastern Montana and portions of the western Dakotas. Bay of Campeche… An unusually dense patch of smoke from the oil rigs in the Bay of Campeche was seen in this region. DUST: Saharan dust remains off the West coast of Africa and as far east out over the Central subtropical Atlantic Ocean in satellite imagery. JS 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/data/land/fire/currenthms.jpg GIS: ftp://satpsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/FIRE/HMS/GIS/ KML: http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/fire.kml (fire) http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/smoke.kml (smoke) ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE SENT TO: SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov