Tuesday, September 16, 2008

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z SEPTEMBER 17, 2008

Northwestern U.S. and British Columbia:
Wildfires in Washington, Oregon and extreme northwestern California
continue to  produce a large area of light to moderate smoke with small
areas of dense smoke.  The smoke covers almost all of Washington, most
of Oregon (except for parts of southern Oregon), extends southward into
extreme northwestern California, and northward into southern British
Columbia, and eastward into northern Idaho.  The smoke seems particularly
dense in western Oregon.  In addition to this large smoke area centered
on Washington/Oregon, there are numerous fires creating smaller separate
areas of light to moderate smoke including a fire in central Idaho,
one in central Montana, several in southern Wyoming, and several in
southern British Columbia. These smoke plumes tend to extend northward
or northeastward (except for the eastward plume from the Montana fire).


 


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.