Friday, September 19, 2008

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0015Z SEPTEMBER 20, 2008

Pacific Northwest and Southwest Canada to northern Great Plains:
Cloud cover severely hampered identifying individual smoke plumes from
the various fires and complexes burning in the Pacific northwest but a
ribbon of moderately dense smoke stretched from south central Alberta,
across southern Saskatchewan into southwest Manitoba while lighter
residual smoke covered portions of the Dakotas, northeast Minnesota,
Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

Southern California:
Light to moderate smoke from fires in Tulare and Fresno counties up to
60 km to the northeast before mixing with blowing dust on the east side
of the Sierras.




 


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.