DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2345Z SEPTEMBER 18, 2008
Lake Ontario region: A narrow (~25-35km wide) line of thin smoke from previous days burning in the PacNW can be seen across ext. E Ontario (between Georgian Bay and Quebec) then south across the Lake into far W NY then angles toward the SE across E PA to just NW of Philly. The smoke is generally moving E or ESE. Pacific Northwest to Great Plains: A large area of thin smoke can be seen covering a large portion of the Northern Great Plains from the northern lakes of Manitoba and Winnipeg across S ½ of Saskatchewan, all of MT, southern 1/3 of Alberta. At this point the plume density becomes more moderate covering nearly all of WA, southern 1/3 of BC including the eastern 2/3rds of Vancouver island which is all moving mainly E with some pockets in the western portion moving more NE or ENE. Into western portions of OR along the Cascade range, individual fires are producing moderate to dense smoke that is generally moving north. The Lonesome complex is producing a particularly large area of very dense smoke, while W portions of the old Blue2/Siskiyou complex in CA and the Gnarl fires in N OR are producing moderate to dense smoke plumes. Central California: Thin smoke from the Hidden fire and large complex in E Frenso county near/in the Nat'l Park can be seen in and around the surrounding river valleys but also along the western flanks of the Sierras from Tulare county as far north as SW Tuolumne county. The smoke has remained stationary though the smoke on the flanks continues to expand NNWward. New Mexico: A fire NE of Santa Fe in Santa Fe county produced a narrow (3-4km wide) plume of thin smoke that waffled from moving due E to S throughout the day...but clouds have built up making the smoke difficult to distinguish at this time. Montana: A fire on the SE portions of Canyon Ferry Lake in central Broadwater county is producing thin to moderate smoke near the sfc and inside the valleys of Broadwater county. South Carolina: A fire in far E Laurens county is producing thin smoke that is moving SSW to the GA/SC line into Lincoln county, GA. The plume is about 15-20km wide on average. Alabama: A fire in far NC Clarke county is producing thin smoke that is moving due W into Wayne county MS. The plume is about 10-15km wide. Bootheel of Missouri: A large amount of agricultural fires in the Mississippi River Valley are producing puffs of thin smoke that extend SW across much of the Bootheel into Clay county AR. Each puff is about 5km wide. Gallina