DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z August 11, 2014
SMOKE: Eastern U.S/Eastern Canada: A large area of smoke originating from the wildfires occurring in Northwest Territories around Great Slave Lake is visible over much of eastern Canada, over Quebec, Newfoundland, Ontario, and descending southward into the U.S. over the Great Lakes region and New England, through the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic, as far south as North Carolina. Two areas of moderate density smoke are embedded in this larger area of smoke; one over Newfoundland, eastern Quebec, and much of New England, and the other over far western Quebec, Ontario, Great Lakes region, Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic. Northern/Central Canada: An area of smoke persists over much of central and northern Canada, over NW Territories, Nunavut, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. This smoke originates from large wildfire complexes occurring in NW Territories around Great Slave Lake. Much of the smoke over northern Canada and closest to the wildfires is difficult to discern through the cloud cover. British Columbia: An area of light to heavy density smoke is visible moving eastward over central British Columbia, moving near the British Columbia/Alberta border. This smoke originates from a large area of wildfires in British Columbia. Northwestern U.S/Southwestern Canada: Numerous wildfires occurring throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, northern California, southern British Columbia and western Montana are producing a broad area of smoke that continues to swirl over the region. The smoke is visible across much of Northwestern U.S, as far east as the Dakotas, and southward over Wyoming/southern Idaho and into northern California. The thickest smoke remains over Oregon, Washington, northern Idaho, southern British Columbia, southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, North Dakota, and Wyoming. Some of this smoke in the eastern areas are most likely combining with smoke associated with the Canadian wildfires that has moved southward. Central/Southern Plains: An area of light density remnant smoke is visible with a west-southwest to east-northeast orientation over New Mexico, the Oklahoma panhandle, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. This smoke originates from a fire in Arizona. DUST: Southwestern U.S: An area of light blowing dust is visible moving westward over western Arizona, currently moving over the Arizona/California border. 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