DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0330Z August 2, 2013
North Central and Central US/Great Lakes/South Central Canada: An expansive area of thin smoke covered much of the north central and central US this morning stretching from Montana eastward to the Great Lakes region and from southern Canada southward to Oklahoma/Arkansas. This evening smoke was also analyzed over Texas. Moderately dense smoke was observed drifting southeastward across southwest Ontario, northeast Minnesota, Lake Superior, and the U.P. Of Michigan. Much of this smoke probably originated from wildfires burning in the western US states of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. In addition, wildfires in northwestern Canada during the past several days may have been responsible for the lingering thin smoke moving southward across central Canada. Central and Eastern Canada/Northern Maine: As mentioned above, thin remnant smoke was seen across much of central Canada including as far north as Nunavut. Thin to moderately dense remnant smoke was also observed over a large portion of eastern Canada, the Labrador Sea, the Canadian Maritimes, and northern Maine. Most of this smoke is thought to have originated from numerous wildfires that had been burning in northwestern Canada several days ago although some of the smoke further south could have come from western US wildfires and smoke across the Arctic may have come from recent Alaskan wildfires. Alaska/Northwest Canada: Thin smoke was present a large part of Alaska extending eastward across the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories, northwest Alberta, and northern British Columbia. Recent Alaska, Yukon Territory, and Northwest Territory fires are responsible for this smoke. Western US (Smoke and Blowing Sand/Dust): A large area of thin density remnant smoke were visible across southern California, central Nevada, and eastern Idaho associated with the Aspen wildfire in California. Remnant smoke also merged with large area of blowing sand/dust in central Nevada. Blowing sand/dust originated from ~39.7N/118.6W located just northeast of Carson City, Nevada starting at 2115Z and continuing through sunset. A separate area of thin density remnant smoke was visible over northern California, Oregon, and western Idaho associated with the Dance fire in northern California. LP/Sheffler 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