Thursday, August 21, 2014

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0245Z August 22, 2014

SMOKE:
Eastern Canada/Hudson Bay:
A large high pressure system remains over eastern Hudson Bay/Western
Quebec, with light density smoke rotating throughout the anticyclone. The
entire area encompasses Hudson Bay, Quebec and central Labrador,
Ontario, and northeastern Manitoba. The smoke most likely originates
from wildfires located to the west in Northwest Territories, although
a few newer wildfires appearing in Ontario are producing smoke that is
currently being wrapped up in the anticyclone.

Western/Northern Canada:
Wildfire complexes in NW Territories continue to burn and produce light
to heavy density smoke, drifting southward into northeastern British
Columbia, northern Alberta, and northern Saskatchewan. The smoke remains
heaviest close to the fire sources through NW Territories and northern
Alberta. Light density remnant smoke is also visible moving south over
the Beaufort Sea into northern NW Territories and northwestern Nunavut.

British Columbia:
Moderate to dense smoke is visible drifting slowly southward over southern
British Columbia, originating from the wildfires occurring in BC.

Western U.S:
Multiple wildfires across northern California and in western Oregon are
producing moderate to heavy density smoke, moving eastward across the
aforementioned states. A broader area of light density smoke is also
visible moving over the coastline of Washington, Oregon, and northern
California.

Northern Plains:
An area of light density smoke is visible over the Dakotas and into
southern Saskatchewan/Manitoba, although the full extent of the smoke to
the north and west is obscured by clouds across the region. This smoke
originates from the wildfires occurring through the NW Territories.

DUST:
A large plume of Saharan dust is visible through the western Gulf
of Mexico, moving northward into southern Texas and across the
southern/central Plains, into central portions of the Mississippi Valley
and into the Ohio Valley.

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

 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.