DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1900Z August 13, 2009

Ohio Valley/Great Lakes/Mississippi Valley/Southern Ontario/Quebec:
Correction for smoke densities:  Smoke is thin across this large region.

A large area of light smoke is spreading east across the northern/central
US and southern Canada.  The smoke is as far south as northern Arkansas
and reaches north into southern Quebec and central Ontario.  Smoke source
is most likely from wildfires in California.

California:
A fire burning in NW Santa Cruz county is emitting a large area of
moderately dense to dense smoke SSW into the Pacific Ocean.  The eastern
edge of the smoke is passing through parts of western Monterey and
northwest San Luis Obispo counties.  The smoke has moved over 900 km
from the fire source and most likely farther, but cloud cover blocks
the view once reaching around 29N in the Pacific Ocean.

The La Brea wildfire burning in Santa Barbara county continues to
produce moderately dense to very dense smoke moving SSW across the Santa
Barbara Channel and Channel Islands.  The smoke can be seen as far south
as 30N before cloud cover blocks the view (600 km from fire source).
The smoke is combining with smoke from the Santa Cruz county fire over the
Pacific. Smoke from the fire is also located in parts of central/southern
California with a moderately dense to dense pocket located across Kern,
Los Angles, Ventura and western San Bernardino counties.

J Kibler

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

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.