Monday, May 16, 2011

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1600Z May 16, 2011

Alberta/Saskatchewan/Northwest Territory/Eastern British
Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario:
Wildfires continue to burn over portions of central to northeast
Alberta and western Saskatchewan this morning/afternoon. Large plumes
of moderately dense to very dense smoke are seen moving north across
northern/central Alberta and into sections of southern Northwest
Territory. Light smoke spreads across the border into eastern British
Columbia. Moderately dense to dense residual smoke from these wildfires
is pushing south from under the clouds across northern Ontario/Hudson
Bay region and spreading over portions of southern/central Manitoba and
Ontario.  A majority of the moderately dense to dense smoke stretches
across central Ontario just south of Hudson Bay.  Light smokes mostly
spreads into parts of central/southern Manitoba, southern Ontario and
could be reaching the northern US, but is too light to confirm.

Kibler

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.