DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z August 21, 2014
SMOKE: Northwest Canada: An area of light to moderate density smoke is visible extending south/southeastward across the Arctic Ocean and parts of the Northwest Territories and western Nunavut. The moderate density smoke has accumulated dominantly around the Great Bear Lake and is moving southward. This is likely remnant smoke that had previously been wrapped into the Arctic from Canadian wildfires but there is a chance that wildfires in Siberia may also have added some smoke. Alaska: An area of light density smoke is visible moving eastward extending from the Bering Sea over Alaska into Kodiak Island. This remnant smoke most likely originates from Siberia. Southern Canada/Northern US: A large area of light to moderate density smoke is visible extending over a majority of central Canada. Moderate density smoke is visible moving NW through Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Hudson Bay, and Nunavut. Light density smoke is visible over Ontario, Manitoba, Hudson Bay, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. This smoke originates from the wildfires burning in Ontario, NW Territories, and British Columbia. British Columbia: An area of light to moderate density smoke is visible moving SE from British Columbia into Washington at sunset. This smoke originates from the wildfires continuing to burn in British Columbia. Western US: A large area of light to moderate smoke is visible in the west moving eastward from the wildfires that have been taking place in California, Oregon, and Washington. Remnant smoke from this area is also visible in Idaho, Saskatchewan, and Montana, as well as converging with the smoke that is coming down from British Columbia. Midwest: A plume of light-density remnant smoke is visible moving SE from the Great Lakes through Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. DUST: Southern Plains: Light blowing dust is visible moving northward around the Texas border into Oklahoma and Arkansas. Another plume of blowing dust is visible making landfall in the western Gulf of Mexico into Texas. This dust is Saharan in origin. Florida: A plume of Saharan dust is visible moving eastward off the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida. 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.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