DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0045Z UTC August 16, 2007
Eastern US/Coastal Waters/Nova Scotia: It may be easier to describe areas that are NOT covered by smoke/haze from the Idaho/Montana fires! Much of the Great Lakes is cloud covered with high cirrus and some deeper convection, but on the periphery of the northern side across N WI, UP of MI, northern LP of MI is covered with thin smoke that is caught in the jet streak coming out of Canada. Moderately dense smoke ahead of cold front extends from the southern coastline of New Foundland across E Nova Scotia, to Cape Cod where the front begins to flatten out east-west across New England...though the smoke wedge also begins to widen from Cape Cod almost to Bermuda covering most of the Atlantic from Cape Cod to 35N70W where easterly flow begins to turn the more stagnant area of smoke and more haze/pollution toward the west. Continuing from 35N70W, to Miami, Florida across to Ft. Myers to Mobile, AL, to Natchez, MS north along the Mississippi River to the Bootheel of MO where a pocket of moderate to dense haze/smoke extends further west to 92W, then to South of St. Louis, MO across S IL, IN, OH where the cloud cover becomes dense again, with a high likelihood of smoke over E OH, all of PA, S NY, S CT back to Cape Cod. A few pockets of cleaner air can be seen E and SE of the Appalachians across N GA, SC and E NC...but a narrow strip of very dense smoke that is moving SE extends from Bristol, TN to Norfolk, VA out to 40N68W on the leading edge of an airmass that was over the Upper Midwest over the last 2 days. It has subsequently sheared out, though concentrated into this narrow 50-100km wide strip. Idaho/Montana/Upper US Great Plains: Every large fire across W MT, Idaho (mainly Salmon River Mtns), and Columbine 1 fire in Yellowstone NP has a extremely dense plume extending due east from it at least 50km with an average width of 25km. The plumes meld into a larger area that mixes with yesterday's and this mornings less dense (though still dense) smoke around 108W. The smoke then extends in a dense plume across SW MT (S of 47.5N), NE WY covering all of SD and the southern 1/3rd of ND turning ESE covering the extreme SW corner of MN, NW Quarter of IA, and NE NE (N of 41N) and E of 100W. Washington/Oregon: The Domke Lake fire is covered with clouds making detection of smoke very difficult at this time, however a small fire in NW Yakima county near Goose Prairie is producing moderate smoke that is moving NW up the river valley into ext NE Pierce county. The WSA Fire complex producing a narrow 16km wide line of moderately dense smoke that extended due north along the spine of the mtns as far as West Central Kittitas county, WA! As the day progressed the near fire environment lead to an expansion of the smoke area in all directions (making a nice ring) over NE Jefferson, E Marion, E Clackamas, and SW Wasco counties. California into Nevada: Smoke from the Zaca fire (last night's emissions) extends due north into NV covering all of W NV from OR and CA boarders east to 118W, then over CA from Lake Tahoe to the Channel Islands to Santa Monica along the Ventura/Los Angles county line across the LA county/Kern county line to San Bernadino county line then Neward into the Mojave desert to around the NV/CA line near 37N. The extremely/convectively dense smoke from today's intense burning has been drifting in all directions and currently covers all of Ventura county, Santa Cruz island, E half of Santa Barbara county, SE San Luis Obispo county, a 30km wide line centered along the LA/Kern county Line and the Western 2/3rds of Kern county with a small extension of dense smoke moving due north along the Kings/Tulare county line to around southern Fresno area. Gallina