DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 01600Z August 18, 2013
Central Plains/Midwest: A large area of light and moderate density smoke is visible over a majority of the Central Plains and Midwest due to the wildfires continuing to burn in the western US and central Canada. One of the dense concentrations is located over North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and western Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. The other notable dense location is over the Midwest, extending from the Great Lakes, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Other states affected with lighter density smoke include Idaho, Montana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and both borders to Canada and Mexico. Eastern Canada: A small area of light density remnant smoke is visible traveling NE from Newfoundland extending over the Labrador Sea towards Greenland. This smoke originates from the wildfires burning in central Canada. Central Canada: Due to extensive cloud cover in the Canadian sector, it is difficult to determine exact areas of smoke concentration and their densities. However, light density remnant smoke is visible in much of the center of the country excluding the majority of SW and eastern Canada. The most dense concentration of smoke is visible extending from the NW Territories through Nunavut eastward to the Hudson Bay. Western Canada: A swath of light density remnant smoke is visible extending from eastern BC through Alberta moving eastward. The smoke most likely originates from the wildfires burning north in Alaska and Canada. Oegerle 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