DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0500Z September 29, 2011
Northwest US: Several moderate density smoke producing wildfires are scattered throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana, and Wyoming. Thin density remnant smoke is observed across much of each of the named states, though smoke is not moving in a particular direction. The larger fires that are emitting locally very dense smoke are located in southeast Washington, Oregon, and northern Idaho with the most dense smoke remaining confined within 100km of the sources. South Central Canada: Small burns in southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba, as well as small burns in northern North Dakota and Minnesota are producing very very light density smoke in the southeast direction that quickly disperses with distance. Central US: A large detached plume of thin density smoke with embedded moderate density smoke is observed over western Nebraska, northeast Colorado, and northwest Kansas. This smoke is traveling southeast and has originated from the large fires in central and northwest Wyoming. Lower Mississippi Valley: -Clusters of ag burns mainly in eastern Arkansas are collectively producing patches of thin and moderate density remnant smoke moving eastward as far east as western Mississippi. -A large fire near the Texas-Louisiana coastal border is emitting a large plume of thin to moderately dense smoke heading east into southern Louisiana and southeast over the Gulf of Mexico. Ramirez From Earlier.... Quebec/Ontario/Western Great Lakes/Mid West Another large and elongated area of remnant smoke can be seen in satellite imagery. This smoke stretches from the southern part of the Hudson Bay into central Ontario then southward through Minnesota/Wisconsin then into the central and southern Mississippi Valley region. This smoke is getting wrapped into the upper level low pressure system that is currently spinning over southern Lake Michigan. Some of the smoke may have made it's way further east but can not be seen due to extensive cloud cover. This is all remnant from the large wildfires and some agricultural burns that have been seen through Montana/Wyoming/Idaho/Pac NW. Belge 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