DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 02455z August 6, 2010

Yukon/Northwest Territories/British Columbia/Alberta/Saskatchewan/southern
Manitoba/southern Ontario/Washington/Oregon/Northern Plains/Western
Great Lakes:

An expansive area of smoke was analyzed this evening from Yukon and
western Northwest Territories and through all of British Columbia and
most of Alberta before extending through the southern half Saskatchewan,
Manitoba and into the Northern Plains and western Great Lakes states.
The plume was moderate to extremely dense in areas.  The densest area
of the plume resides over much of British Columbia and Alberta and
extended southeast into southern Saskatchewan through the Dakotas and into
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.  Additionally, an area of moderate to
extremely dense smoke was also analyzed over Oregon and Washington state.
Their appeared to be three primary source areas for the plume, those
being, a large number of wildfires over the southern portions of
British Columbia, numerous wildfires over northern British Columbia and
the southern Yukon and wildfire activity over central Saskatchewan
and Manitoba.

Central California:
A moderately dense area of smoke was analyzed this evening over portions
of central and northern California and it is believed the source for
this area of smoke is the continued scattered wildfire activity over
central and northern portions of the state.

Hanna
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.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/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.