Monday, July 20, 2009

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1730Z July 20, 2009

Alaska/Canada/North Central US:
Moderately dense to dense smoke continues to emanate from a number
of fires burning across portions of Alaska and the Yukon province
of northwestern Canada. The area of smoke covered a large portion of
northern Alaska and then extended southeast into the Yukon/Northwest
Territories and then into northern portions of Alberta.

Southern British Columbia/Washington/Northern Idaho/Western Montana:
A complex of fires over southern British Columbia was producing a
moderately dense smoke plume that covered a good portion of eastern
Washington state, extreme northern Idaho and extreme northwest Montana.

Northern California/Southern Oregon/Southern Idaho/extreme Northern
Nevada:
A fire over eastern Siskiyou county in northern California was producing
a thin to moderately dense smoke plume that extended east roughly along
the Oregon and California common border and then further east along
the Idaho and Nevada common border.  The densest portion of the plume
was confined from southeastern Oregon and extending east through the
southern portions of Idaho.

Hanna

More information on the areas of smoke described above as well as others
can be found at the locations listed below.

THE FORMAT OF THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS BEING MODIFIED. IT WILL NO LONGER
DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS PLUMES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES. THESE
PLUMES ARE DEPICTED IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC FORMATS ON OUR WEB SITE:

JPEG:   http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/hms.html
GIS:    http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm
KML:    http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/kml.html

THIS TEXT PRODUCT WILL CONTINUE TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SMOKE
WHICH HAVE BECOME DETACHED FROM AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE
SOURCE FIRE, TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. IT WILL ALSO
STILL INCLUDE DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOWING DUST.

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THESE CHANGES OR THE SMOKE TEXT
PRODUCT IN GENERAL SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov






 


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.