DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0500Z August 17, 2010
S/Central British Columbia/Alberta/SW Saskatchewan/NW and N Central US: Large areas of moderately dense to very dense smoke originating from the fires in British Columbia was spreading south and southeastward this evening. Remnant smoke from these fires spread as far as north central South Dakota crossing portions of North Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia as well. The most dense smoke was seen moving southeastward across central and southern British Columbia to the east of the Cascades, with another area of dense smoke over central and eastern Washington state, extreme northern Idaho, and into extreme northwest Montana. Moderately dense smoke has also been pulled off the coast of Washington and Oregon by the upper low off the California coast. Alaska/Yukon Territory/N British Columbia: A band of thin to moderately dense remnant smoke from the past two days worth of fires in the southeastern and southwestern corners of the Yukon Territory and in northern British Columbia extended northwestward from northwest British Columbia to northeast Alaska. A path of thin to moderate density remnant smoke either from the fires in east Alaska or possibly from fires in Siberia was present between the northeastern Alaska coast and the sea ice. Additionally a small area of thin smoke was present near Fort Yukon, Alaska from fires just to the west and southwest of that location. Northwest Territories/N Saskatchewan/extreme W Nunavut/W Manitoba: Numerous fires burning southeast of Great Slave Lake and in northeast Saskatchewan continued to produce moderate to dense smoke that flowed southeastward. Some smoke began to enter west central Manitoba. In addition, aerosol now believed to be thin remnant smoke was seen moving southward from the Arctic across eastern Northwest Territories and far western Nunavut. The origin of this remnant smoke is unknown, though it could have wrapped around the cyclonic flow that has been positioned over southern Hudson Bay since Saturday or it may have originated from fires in Siberia and traveled across the Arctic. Eastern Canada: Multiple areas of thin remnant smoke continued to be seen over eastern Canada and the coastal waters; from just east of Nova Scotia northward across Newfoundland, and east/northeast of Labrador by this evening. This remnant smoke likely came from fires in western Canada several days ago. Southern US Plains: Some thin remnant smoke from yesterdays fires along the Mississippi River likely mixed with ozone and other aerosols was present along a frontal boundary from north Mississippi to southern West Virginia by evening. Another area was over eastern Oklahoma. -Sheffler 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