DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z July 8, 2007
California/Nevada: The wildfire in Santa Barbara county in the Sierra Madre Mountains is producing a moderately dense to dense smoke plume moving northeast into parts of Ventura, northeast Los Angles, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, and Kings county. Light smoke from this fire spreads as far east as Fresno county and is getting close to reaching Nevada. The wildfire in Plumas county (Plumas National Forest) is emitting a large area of thick smoke moving northeast into Lassen county. The smoke crosses the border into Nevada and reaches the counties of Washoe, Pershing, and Humboldt. Two mainly new wildfires in northwest Inyo county (continuing to grow) in the Inyo National Forest are emitting a large area of mostly very dense smoke moving in multiple directions. Most smoke is moving north to northeast into the counties of Nye, Esmeralda, Lincoln, White Pine in Nevada and almost reaching Utah, but cloud cover makes it difficult to see the full extent of the smoke. Smoke from this fire is fanning west into the counties of Tulare and Fresno in southern California. Oregon/Idaho Multiple fire in southern Oregon are emitting areas of moderately dense to dense smoke. A fire in the county of Deschutes (Deschutes National Forest) and multiple fires in Harney (Ochoco National Forest) and Grant (Malheur National Forest) counties are spreading smoke across the counties of southern Oregon and into western Idaho. Arizona/Utah: A fire in Pima county in southern Arizona (Comobabi Mts near Kitt Peak National Observatory) is producing an area of moderately dense smoke moving southwest into northern Mexico. In northeast Arizona in the county of Mohave (Virgin Mountains) a large area of moderately dense smoke can be seen moving northeast into Washington county in southwest Utah. Utah: A huge wildfire in the counties of Millard and Beaver in the Mineral Mountains is producing a very thick area of smoke. The smoke is moving east across the state into the counties Sevier, Plute, Wayne, Emery, San Juan and Grant. This fire continues to grow in size, but the full extent of smoke cannot be seen due to thick cloud cover. Overall the full extent of smoke across the western U.S is incredible. Multiple wildfires in southern Idaho, northern Nevada, northeast Utah, parts of California, Arizona, Oregon and Montana are contributing to this large mass of smoke. Thick smoke can be seen across parts of northeast California, southwest Idaho, northwest Nevada, eastern Utah, western Colorado, northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico. Moderately dense smoke is seen across northern Utah, most of Wyoming, northwest Colorado, northern Arizona, southwest Utah and parts of central and eastern Idaho. Light smoke can be seen as far west as Montana. Multiple new fires are seen today due to most likely, but not confirmed lighting strikes from last night thunderstorms blowing up over the western U.S. Once again the full extent of the smoke cannot be seen due to thick cloud cover. Alaska/Northwest Territories: Multiple fires burning across Alaska can be seen producing areas of light to moderately dense smoke across the state. Wildfires east of Great Bear Lake are emitting an area of light to moderately dense smoke moving north NW across the lake and into the northern regions of the Northwest Territories. Oklahoma/Kansas/Missouri/Texas Multiple fires (most likely agricultural) across this region are producing area of mostly light smoke moving in a mostly north direction. One fire in the county of Meade in southwest Kansas is emitting an area of moderately dense smoke moving north into the counties of Gray, Ford, Finney and Hodgeman. J Kibler