Friday, May 29 2015

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z May 30, 2015

SMOKE
Northern Plains:
A detached area of thin density smoke is seen across much of North Dakota
and extending into northeast Wyoming, northweys South Dakota and into
northwest Minnesota. This area of smoke is likely from wildfires occurring
in northwestern Canada, though the full extent of the smoke (especially
the eastern extent) is difficult to discern due to cloud coverage.

Alaska/Western and Central Canada:
A broad area of light density smoke with embedded significant areas
of moderate and heavy density smoke was seen over much of the Yukon
Territory, Northwest Territories and the northern portions of British
Columbia and  Alberta this evening.  The most numerous fires and largest
areas of moderate/dense smoke were roughly located between the McKenzie
River and the Yukon/Northwest Territories border. However, there were also
scattered patches of moderate to dense smoke associated with fires  across
northern British Columbia, northern Alberta and northern Saskatchewan.

Southern Gulf of Mexico/Bay of Campeche:
An area of mostly thin density smoke is seen surging northwestward across
the Bay of Campeche into southern portions of the Gulf of Mexico. This
smoke is coming from the continued seasonal agricultural burning in
Mexico.

Ruminski

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.