DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1530Z August 23, 2006

Northern Rockies eastward through the Northern Plains:
A large area of moderately dense to locally dense smoke stretches from
the numerous source fires in central Idaho and western and southern
Montana eastward. The smoke covers all of Montana, the Dakotas, northeast
Wyoming, northern Nebraska and much of Minnesota. The smoke over the
eastern extent is moving more to the southeast and is generally less
dense than the smoke further to the west. The smoke is very dense in the
valleys of Idaho and Valley counties in central Idaho from the fires in
the Boise National Forest. A fire in southwest Johnson county Wyoming is
producing a narrow moderately dense plume extending to the east-southeast.

Washington/Oregon:
Dense smoke from the large fire complex in the Okanagan National
Forest is now moving to the southeast and covers portions of northeast
Washington. The smoke is most dense over Okanagan county. A large
fire along the southern border of Walla Walla and Columbia counties in
southeast Washington is producing a moderately dense plume that extends
to the northeast into northern Idaho. Fires over southeast Harney and
northwest Malheur counties in Oregon are producing moderately dense
plumes that are drifting to the northeast.

Northern California:
Fires in Siskiyou and Trinity continue to produce locally dense smoke
in the valleys close to the fires and moderately dense smoke drifting
to the southeast.

Utah/Colorado:
A fire in western Garfield county Utah has produced an area of thin smoke
that covers portions of Piute and Sevier counties. An area of thin smoke
also covers most of Moffat county in northeast Colorado and is slowly
drifting to the southeast.

Canada:
A large area of thin smoke covers much of southern Nunavut Territory to
Hudson Bay. Another broad area of somewhat denser smoke covers most of
northeast Manitoba and northwest Ontario and western Hudson Bay.

An area of smoke that originated from the fires in Idaho, Washington and
Montana has been entrained into a weather system and covers southeast
Alberta, much of Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. The smoke is mixed
with clouds over much of this area.

Ruminski

Unless otherwise indicated:

Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.

Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.

A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.

Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.