DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z May 28, 2015
SMOKE: Alaska/Canada/Pacific Northwest/Central US: Several areas of light to medium density residual smoke from wildfires in western and central Canada could be seen throughout most of Canada, the Pacific Northwest and central US. An area of light density residual smoke that originated from wildfires was seen from eastern Alaska to the southeastern portions of the Northwest Territories. Multiple wildfires that were producing medium density smoke were observed in this area of light density smoke along the border of Alaska and Yukon as well as in the Northwest Territories. Another area of light density residual smoke was observed in British Columbia into the Pacific Northwest and was slowly moving to the southeast. A large area of light density smoke was moving to the east in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, western Ontario and was moving to the southeast in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, western Illinois, Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Embedded within this large area of light density smoke was a ribbon of medium density smoke from central Saskatchewan through northern Ontario and an area of medium density smoke in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, northern Michigan and southern Ontario. Wildfires continue to produce light to medium density smoke within this large area of residual smoke in northern Alberta, north-central Saskatchewan and western Ontario. Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea: An area of light density remnant smoke was observed encompassing the western Gulf of Mexico spanning from the Bay of Campeche to the Texas coastline this afternoon/evening. This area of remnant smoke originated from numerous agricultural and prescribed burns in Central America and was moving to the west-northwest. It is possible that Saharan dust has mixed in this area of remnant smoke in the western Gulf of Mexico. Saharan dust can be seen throughout the Caribbean Sea; however the dust has become more diffuse as it moved westward. Therefore it is difficult to determine the spatial extent of this area of dust using satellite imagery as the dust encounters the Yucatan Peninsula and the western Gulf of Mexico. -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