DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z JUNE 27, 2008
California/Western US to the Northern and Central Plains: Several large wildfires and numerous smaller wildfires in the north central part of California continue to emit a large mass of smoke which covers much of California and extends northeastward to the north central Plains. Smoke also extends southward and offshore of California. Within this very large region of smoke is a large batch of moderately dense to dense smoke which covers much of northern and central California, northern and central Nevada, southern Idaho, and northern Utah. The moderately dense to dense smoke also extends southward over much of central and even into a portion of southern California. Over coastal west central California, the Indian fire in Monterrey County continues to produce moderately dense to dense smoke which appeared to be moving more to the southwest and offshore late in the day. Utah: A rapidly developing fire in northern Garfield County of south central Utah produced a growing dense smoke plume which fanned out as it spread in a southeastward direction. Arizona/New Mexico/Southern Plains: Leftover thin to moderately dense smoke could be seen again prior to sunset moving to the east across Kansas, Oklahoma, and northwestern Texas. This smoke was likely due to several ongoing fires in Arizona and New Mexico. Cloudiness across Arizona and New Mexico hindered smoke detection during the day. However, at least a glimpse around the fire burning near the border of Valencia-Torrance Counties revealed a moderately dense to dense smoke plume moving in an eastward direction. A break in the clouds over central Arizona also showed moderately dense to dense smoke moving to the northeast from a fire just west of Phoenix in central Maricopa County. North Carolina/Virginia: Leftover light smoke/haze from the Evans Road and South 1 fires was still visible offshore over the Atlantic. The South 1 fire continues to emit moderately dense to locally dense smoke which was moving mainly in a east or east-northeast direction during the day across southeastern Virginia. South Central Canada: Fires continue to burn in northern Saskatchewan and northwestern Manitoba Provinces with several significant smoke plumes observed moving to the east. Cloudiness did interfere with additional smoke detection there. Earlier in the day, a large batch of leftover smoke was visible over western Hudson Bay, much of Manitoba Province, and the western portion of Ontario Province. The smoke also was very close to northern Minnesota and Lake Superior. Alaska/Northwestern Canada: A couple of thin to moderately dense smoke producing fires were evident over northeastern Alaska as well as more numerous ones in the eastern Yukon and Northwest Territories of northwestern Canada. JS