DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z April 23, 2015
SMOKE Contiguous US/Central Canada: Several agricultural and prescribed burns were observed in Saskatchewan and Manitoba this evening. Smoke plumes associated with the fires were moving to the south. Three large areas of elevated light to moderate density smoke were observed throughout Central Canada and much of the Contiguous US in GOES-13 visible imagery this afternoon/evening. Light density elevated smoke was seen entering the Pacific Northwest as it moves ahead of a frontal boundary extending from a low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska. A band of moderate density elevated smoke was seen moving through Baja California, the Gulf of California, and into southwest Arizona. A wide stream of light density elevated smoke with embedded bands of moderate density smoke was seen moving along the polar jet axis and moving around a large low pressure system in Quebec. The stream of smoke moves in from the north through the Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, northeast Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, eastern Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri then turns eastward into Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and finally moves to the northeast as it exits the east coast. All areas of elevated smoke originated from fires in Siberia. Central Plains: Numerous agricultural and prescribed burns were observed in eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma. Light density smoke plumes associated with the fires were moving to the west. Gulf of Mexico: Light density remnant smoke and a small area of moderate density smoke were observed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and were moving to the northwest. The remnant smoke originated from agricultural burns in Central America and oil exploration in the Bay of Campeche. A small area of moderate density smoke from agricultural burns was seen moving off the Yucatan Peninsula coastline this evening into the Bay of Campeche. -Cronin 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