DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z August 10, 2009
Northwest Canada: The area of smoke mentioned in the previous discussion was no longer discernible. Cloud cover was making smoke detection difficult along with an unfavorable sun angle for viewing smoke. Alaska: Extensive remnant smoke from the massive fires of the past several days was seen stretching from Kodiak Island westward across the northeast Aleutians and Bristol Bay and into the central Bering Sea. The smoke area crosses the Pribilof Islands and extends further to the west and northwest. An area of smoke was also recirculating into western Alaska across western Norton Sound and dropping south toward Bethel. Central/Western Canada Northwest US: A broad area of smoke was seen covering much of central and southwest Canada. The area extended from southern British Columbia eastward across southern Alberta and then expanded northward covering most of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The smoke reached western Hudson Bay along the Manitoba and northern Ontario coast. The southern fringe of this expansive smoke area brushed across portions of northern North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington, with the southernmost push over much of Montana and into northern Wyoming. Most of the smoke area was light although a few larger patches of moderately dense smoke were seen over Manitoba and along the Saskatchewan/Alberta border and into northern Montana. California: Much of the Central Valley had a thin layer of smoke, likely remnants of the fires burning in northern California. A broad area of moderatley dense to dense smoke was seen with the La Brea fire in northern Santa Barbara county. The smoke was spreading eastward across Kern county and along the northern border of Los Angeles county. Arizona: Numerous fires remained active in Arizona today with smoke from all of the fires drifting to the northeast as depicted in the graphics. Ruminski 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.osdpd.noaa.gov/ml/land/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