DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THRU 0100Z August 15, 2005
Alaska, western and south central Canada and northwestern and northcentral continental U.S.: A huge contiguous area of moderate to thick smoke extends from Alaska, through the western and southern Yukon Territory, into northern British Columbia, central and southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba and then into eastern Washington state, northern Idaho, and Montana and North Dakota. The southern edge of the smoke particularly in Montana and North Dakota continues to move toward the south and east and is therefore approaching South Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. The smoke primarily originates in the extremely numerous and large Alaskan fires, but fires in and near Idaho are also contributing to the smoke over Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and southwestern Canada. The Alaskan fires are currently producing smoke that is moving toward the west and the smoke over Alaska is very dense. Most of the smoke in Canada is a remnant from previous days' Alaskan fires so the Canadian smoke is much less dense than the smoke currently over Alaska. Probably due to the contribution from the fires in and near Idaho, the smoke again becomes dense in Washington, Idaho, Montana and southern North Dakota. Southwest Oregon: The Blossom Complex fire is producing smoke that is moving toward the south southwest (and reaching the Pacific) as well as some smoke that is moving toward the north.