DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0245Z September 17, 2009
North Central US/Ohio Valley: Possible leftover remnant thin smoke likely originating from the fires in southern British Columbia of southwestern Canada, visible earlier this morning across portions of the Ohio Valley as well as the central and north central US, was no longer detectable in GOES-East imagery late this afternoon. Canada/Northern US: More leftover thin smoke mainly from the British Columbia fires was observed this afternoon stretching from southern Alberta across eastern Montana, North Dakota, and the northern portion of South Dakota. The thin smoke then curved northward along a frontal band extending from northern Minnesota to Hudson Bay. Northwestern US/Southwestern Canada: A number of fires were analyzed this afternoon across Washington, Oregon, northern Idaho, western Montana, and southwestern Canada. Fires over southeastern and northeastern Oregon as well as northwestern Montana were producing significant amounts of smoke which spread mainly in a northerly or northeasterly direction. Some smoke from the fire in northern Grant County of northeastern Oregon had become detached from the source and had spread as far north as southern British Columbia in southwestern Canada. 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