Tuesday, June 28, 2011

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z June 29, 2011


Northwest Mexico/Arizona/New Mexico:
A large area of moderate density remnant smoke is present over central
Texas, all of the Texas panhandle, much of Oklahoma, and parts of
south and west Kansas. Likely contributors to the remnant smoke are 1)
Several fires along the Sierra Madre Occidental, 2) Several fires along
the majority of the Sonora/Chihuahua border, 3) A large wildfire in the
southeast quadrant of Arizona, and 4) Two large wildfires (including
the Pacheco wildfire) in central New Mexico. The smoke was initially
carried northward before extending east into southern Kansas and then
south into Oklahoma/central Texas.

US Atlantic Coast/Offshore:
The Juniper Road wildfire in coastal North Carolina continues to produce
thin density remnant smoke that stretches as far north as southern New
Jersey and moderate density remnant smoke as far north as the central
North Carolina coast. The smoke is additionally observed offshore in
the western Atlantic.

Northwest Territories/Lake Athabasca Vicinity:
Large amounts of dense smoke continue to be emitted by the fires near Lake
Athabasca with moderate dense smoke contributions coming from wildfires
in southern  Northwest Territories, too. The smoke is moving east across
southeast Northwest  Territories, Nunavut, northern Saskatchewan/Manitoba,
and central Hudson Bay.

Northwestern Alaska/Yukon Territory/NW Northwest Territories:
Return flow across the pole has carried smoke from the
Alberta/Saskatchewan/Northwest Territories fires north and then circulated
it back down through northwest Alaska and into northern Yukon and
Northwest Territories. Several fires also exist in central Yukon and
Northwest Territories which are equally contributing to the thin and
moderate density remnant smoke in the region.


Ramirez


THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT
AREAS SMOKE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES AND SMOKE WHICH HAS BECOME
DETACHED FROM THE FIRES AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE SOURCE
FIRE..TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST
ARE ALSO DESCRIBED. USERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO VIEW A GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF
THESE AND OTHER PLUMES WHICH ARE LESS EXTENSIVE AND STILL ATTACHED TO
THE SOURCE FIRE 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
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT 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.