Friday, April 16, 2010

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0215Z April 17, 2010


Southern Mid-West/Southeast US:

Light residual smoke remains from past fires as well as from fires
burning across the TN Valley and the southeast today across the region
and off the mid-Atlantic coast as well as into the northern Gulf of
Mexico. Some bigger fires through mostly LA/AL/MS/GA are adding to
the large-scale smoke with some small areas of dense smoke within these
regions. Moderately dense smoke remains into the central Atlantic getting
caught up just behind and within the frontal boundary.


Canada and the Northern Great Plains:

A plume of unknown origin and composition can still be seen stretching
from northern Alberta  and northern Manitoba southeastward into eastern
North Dakota and Minnesota moving across the ridge axis. Mostly light
smoke is also mixing in with this larger scale plume from the many fires
that were seen across the northern Plains this evening. This plume,
along with the smoke from the fires seems to be digging southward into
the central Plains along the eastern side of the ridge.

-Belge

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.