DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0400Z July 17, 2013
Central US: Remnant thin smoke from week old wildfires in Canada has dropped south and become embedded in a large cyclonic circulation that covers much of the northern US, central plains and Great Lakes regions. The exact extent of the smoke is uncertain due to cloud cover. Central Canada: A large portion of central Canada including parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are covered in light density smoke this morning from previously detected wildfires in the said regions. Most of those fires that were observed yesterday are not seen today due to clouds, but in the cloud breaks and in the clear areas the remnant smoke is evident. Also contributing to the smoke are new fires seen southwest of Great Slave Lake. Although the eastward extent of the smoke cannot be determined, it is likely that it extends over James Bay / Hudson Bay and into central Ontario. Cloud cover remained constant throughout the day. Eastern Canada: Moderate to dense smoke is observed in extreme eastern Quebec, Newfoundland, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Labrador and into the Labrador Sea as a result of several wildfires that continue to burn in eastern Quebec. Fires output enormous amounts of smoke throughout the day that drifted southeastward into the Atlantic. Alaska and Yukon: Several active wildfires in Yukon Territory are responsible for a remnant moderate density smoke plume that encompasses the southern half of the territory as well as northern British Columbia and parts of the eastern Pacific. Smoke is likely present in Alaska but it cannot be verified due to heavy cloud cover. Cloud cover remained constant throughout the day. LP/Ramirez THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF 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