DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0245Z September 3, 2009
Much of US and Southern Canada: Thin smoke originating primarily from large fires burning in central and southern California, Utah, northeastern Oregon, and southwestern Canada (southern British Columbia) had combined into one large mass which spread eastward and covered a good portion of the US and Southern Canada. Please refer to the jpg graphic and GIS websites listed below for a graphical presentation of this widespread smoke. Within this large area of smoke, were more dense patches. One such band extended northeastward and eastward from the southern California fires across southern Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Kansas. The moderately dense to dense smoke then moved southeastward over Oklahoma, central and eastern Texas, western Louisiana, and over the extreme northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Moderately dense to dense smoke detached from the southern British Columbia fires moved eastward during the afternoon and covered a large portion of southern Canada to just south of Hudson Bay. Some of the moderately dense to dense smoke had also become entrained into a low pressure circulation centered over South Dakota. Moderately dense to locally very dense smoke closer to the large active fires in southern California was fanning out to the northeast and southwest, while also spreading northward toward central California. The moderately dense to dense smoke originating from the fires in southern British Columbia was difficult to see late this afternoon due to cloudiness in the area. Some of the plumes could be seen through breaks in the clouds moving mainly to the north. JS 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