DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0400Z May 19, 2011
South Central to Northeast Canada: A large area of light to moderate density smoke covered much of southern Canada stretching from Saskatchewan eastward across Manitoba/Ontario/Quebec and across Labrador/northern Newfoundland. In addition, thin remnant smoke extended southward into northern Minnesota. Most of this is likely remnant smoke from the numerous wildfires that have been burning through northern/central Alberta over the past several days, although smoke from the agricultural fires in the north central US and south central parts of Canada likely added to the smoke densities over southern Saskatchewan/southern Manitoba. Northwest Territories/Alberta/northeast British Columbia: While clouds obscured the fires in northeast Alberta, thin smoke could be seen between breaks in the clouds into the southeast Northwest Territories. In addition, moderately dense to dense smoke was being emitted by the wildfires in north central Alberta this evening. Washington and Oregon Coasts/Vancouver Island: An area of aerosol believed to be thin to moderately dense smoke was seen drifing southward across Vancouver Island along the Washington and Oregon coastlines. This remnant smoke likely was from the Alberta wildfires and had been wrapped its way around the upper low over British Columbia over the past couple of days. Gulf of Mexico/Southeast US/South Texas/Lower Mississippi River Valley: An expansive area of remnant smoke covered the Gulf of Mexico, south and east Texas, Louisiana, parts of Arkansas and Mississippi, stretched eastward across Florida, western Cuba, the Bahamas, and off the Southeast US coast. Smoke in the western Gulf was of moderate density with that smoke just north of the Gulf of Campeche being dense. This smoke originated from several different source areas; from fires in the Yucatan Peninsula, from fires in northwest Mexico, from fires in the Lower Mississippi River Valley, and from fires in the southeast US. Northern Mexico/West Texas: Numerous fires continue to burn across portions of northern Mexico through southern/central Chihuahua and into Sinaloa and Durango. This is creating a large area of light smoke with embedded moderately dense smoke across this region of moderately dense to very dense smoke over northern Mexico and moving eastward towards southern Texas. Additionally, smoke from the fires just southwest of El Paso, TX is mixing with blowing dust being picked up by strong winds over the Mexican state of Chihuahua and southern New Mexico. 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