DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THRU 0300Z JULY 21, 2005
Northwestern Canada: Satetllite data does not show quite as many fires burning between Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories as seen in recent days. However, visible imagery still depicts an enormous batch of smoke lingering across western Canada. Trends in visible imagery through this evening show the smoke spreading southeastward and now extending from northern British Columbia Province across northern Saskatchewan Province. What appears to be detatched patches of the smoke along the leading edge of this area have moved as far as central Manitoba Province (around Lake Winnipeg) and western Ontario Province. Western U.S.: Big flare ups have occurred this evening with a couple fires over east central Idaho and southwestern Montana. Rapidly growing dense smoke plumes were spreading off to the northeast as seen in evening visible imagery. Other smaller fires across eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, the Idaho Panhandle, and western Montana were contributing to a general haze across the region. To the south a tremendous expanse of smoke has been noted during the past several days over the Southwest due to quite a few large fires burning over the region. This smoke which currently stretches from California and Arizona to western Nebraska has been trapped somewhat under a large ridge. During the day and into the evening GOES visible imagery has indicated smoke most likley coming from the large central Arizona fires has moved westward into southern California and recently northward into central California as it rounds the back side of the ridge.