Wednesday, September 28, 2011

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

 


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.