DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z September 24, 2012
NOTE...As of late this afternoon (9/23) we are currently not receiving imagery from the GOES-East satellite which is limiting fire and smoke detection for the eastern US. It is also slightly limiting smoke detection and smoke density information in the central and western US as well since the lower sun angle in western sky in the afternoon makes smoke detection easier using the GOES-East satellite. Western and Central US/Southwestern Canada: Large and numerous wildfires continue to burn through portions of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming today. Moderately dense to thick smoke was moving more to the west and northwest during the afternoon in response to a low pressure system located over Oregon. The thickest smoke stretched from central Idaho to the eastern half of Washington. Moderately dense smoke wrapped to the west and south around the low circulation covering the remainder of Washington, western Oregon, and just offshore. Thin to moderately dense smoke also spread to the north and east moving into southwestern Canada as well as portions of Montana and Wyoming. The smoke then thinned out as it spread farther to the southeast across the Central and South Central US. Western Canada: Areas of moderately dense to thick smoke originated from fires in northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta and moved mainly in a northerly direction. A larger surrounding mass of thin to moderately dense smoke covered a good portion of western Canada, extending northward over the Northwest Territories. This smoke was believed to be from the western Canadian fires as well as from the large western US fires. JS 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