DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0102Z September 16, 2012
US East Coast: Thin to very thin smoke could be see very early within the trailing end of weakening/ill-defined frontal zone that extended from far E Maine, SE of Cape Cod, curling back SW to the Outer Banks of NC. This smoke is slowing moving S off the NC coast and due E into Nova Scotia and was remnants of the ID/MT fires a few days back. Northern US from WA/OR to Great Lakes: Please see graphic and GIS page for vast area of dense smoke that is covering much of the US...these plumes/pockets of smoke from the last two days can still be seen connected to the source fires. Southern High Plains (CO/NM): Smoke from the Western Wyoming fires (particularly the Alpine Fire) is still connected to the source fires but as turned due south on the anticyclonic side of the ridge on the east side of the front range. This smoke is moderate to thick in density and covers E CO, E NM, Central NM starting to move into SE AZ, OK Panhandle, and W KS at this time. Oregon Pacific Coast: Thin upper level smoke that rotated northwest then westward over BC and the Pacific Ocean from the Pole Creek fire a few days ago has wrapped behind the cold front of a weak cyclone that is moving onshore across WA attm. The thin smoke extends from the SW of this cyclone along the coastal range of Oregon and far NW CA along the nearest 50-100km of the Pacific. This smoke is moving quickly south. Gallina 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