DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1600Z August 15, 2009

Southwest US, Great Basin and northern Mexico:
Two general areas of remnant smoke were seen across this region
this morning. One area of smoke was from the La Brea fire in southern
California in northern Santa Barbara county. This smoke stretched across
southeast California into northern Arizona, eastern Utah and western
Colorado. Most of the smoke was thin except for a patch of moderately
dense smoke tracking across northwest Arizona. A separate area of thin
smoke was seen from east central Arizona into western New Mexico and
then curling back to the southwest across northern Chihuahua and Sonora
states in Mexico and into the northern Gulf of California.

Remnant smoke from a fire along the Yuba/Nevada county border in northern
California was also seen this morning. There was a narrow patch of thin
smoke that was seen across much of northern Nevada and was detached from
the fire. Another area of smoke was seen extending from the fire to the
south-southwest across the southern Sacramento Valley and reaching to
the northern San Joachin Valley. This smoke was mainly thin with a small
patch of moderately dense smoke drifting south through the vicinity of
San Joachin county.

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

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.