DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z July 21, 2014
US/Canada: An extensive area of light to heavy density smoke persists across much of Canada and across the majority of the U.S. Wildfires across the Northwest Territories, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are all contributing to this expansive smoke plume. Light density smoke is seen across western Canada, originating from the wildfires surrounding Great Slave Lake and moving southward into the U.S. across the northern Plains. Smoke originating from wildfires in the northwestern U.S. are also emitting smoke that is moving eastward, and smoke from both of these fires are moving eastward across the U.S. Smoke can be seen as far south as Texas and Louisiana, extending to the northeast through New England and into eastern Canada, extending as far as as Greenland. Multiple areas of moderately dense smoke are embedded within the larger plume, affecting NW Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, Ontario, northern Plains, upper/middle Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes region, Ohio Valley, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Heavy density smoke is concentrated close to the wildfires as well as over Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Arkansas. Western Alaska/Bering Sea/Gulf of Alaska: A large area of light to moderately dense remnant smoke is visible extending from the Bering sea south and east over western Alaska and the Gulf of Alaska. This smoke originates from fires occurring throughout Siberia. DUST: Arizona: An area of blowing dust is visible moving northward across the northwestern extent of Arizona. Gulf Coast States: An elongated area of thick blowing dust is seen draped across the Gulf Coast, over southern Texas, southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and southern Alabama. Heeps 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.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/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