DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z July 13, 2006.
Western and Southwestern US(Including California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, and Colorado): A massive fire that has erupted over southwest San Bernardino county just north of Palm Springs is producing a large, dense smoke plume that is extending to the northeast and covers much of the eastern part of the county, crosses into southern Nevada including the Las Vegas metro area, northwestern Arizona and southern Utah. Evening visible satellite imagery also shows a detached area of smoke which likely originates mainly from the San Bernardino County fire, covering northern Utah, southwestern and central Wyoming, western and central Colorado. Some blowing dust from the Great Salt Lake Desert may also be contributing to the hazy appearance across northern Utah, including the Salt Lake City area, and southwestern Wyoming. Another large fire over western Stanislaus county is producing a large very dense smoke plume that is moving to the northeast and extends to just west of Lake Tahoe over the western portion of Sierra county. It just crosses the boundary between California and Nevada. The smoke also tends to fan out to the north and south across the valley of central California. A separate fire in Riverside County to the southwest of the large fire in San Bernardino county, is producing a narrow plume of moderately dense smoke which is also moving to the northeast. There are several fires in the western Utah counties of Iron, Millard, and Juab. They are producing narrow locally dense plumes of smoke which are moving mainly northeast. The smoke is also contributing to the large areas of smoke covering northern Utah, southwestern and central Wyoming, western and central Colorado. Fires in Lincoln county of western Nevada, and Mohave county of northern Arizona are producing narrow moderately dense plumes of smoke, which are moving to the northeast. Florida: A northeastward moving narrow plume of smoke was observed moving northeastward from a fire in Franklin county in the panhandle of northern Florida. Alaska: A fire in Yukon-Koyukuk county of eastern Alaska is producing a moderately dense area of smoke extending 20km to the northeast. Canada: A handful of rather dense eastward moving smoke plumes were visible in satellite imagery this evening across southeastern Manitoba Province and western Ontario Province of south central Canada. JS/BZ