DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z June 19, 2015
SMOKE Alaska/Yukon: An area of light density remnant smoke was observed over the coastline of southern Alaska and the Gulf of Alaska. This area of remnant smoke originated from wildfires in southern Alaska and western Yukon. Wildfires in southeast Alaska and the western portions of the Yukon Territory continue to produce light to moderate density smoke and have contributed to the pool of remnant smoke to the south. A wildfire northeast of Whitefish Lake in south-central Alaska was producing a heavy density smoke plume which was moving to the south. A low pressure system off the coast of British Columbia was pulling the majority of this smoke to the south and southwest. Alberta/Ontario/Manitoba/Hudson Bay: A broad area of light density remnant smoke was observed over eastern Alberta, Manitoba, western Ontario, and the western portions of Hudson Bay. Aerosol that is believed to be remnant dust is likely mixed in with this area of smoke. The cloud cover in western Canada limited the ability to detect the full extent of this area of smoke and dust to the west. Northwest Territories/Alberta: Wildfires in the southern portions of the Northwest Territories and northern Alberta continue to produce light to moderate density smoke. Cloud cover partially obscures the movement of these areas of smoke, although a wildfire southeast of Great Slave Lake can be seen emitting a heavy density smoke plume to the south. Southwest US: A large wildfire in southern California, called 'Lake Fire', was producing a significant amount of dense smoke that fanned out into the eastern portions of Arizona, and as far north as southeast Utah. 'Lake Fire' has burned over 10000 acres in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California since yesterday. Several wildfires in central Arizona that have continued from yesterday have produced light to moderate density smoke plumes that are moving to the east to the New Mexico border. Southeast US: An area of thin smoke is seen off the coast of the Southeast US. The smoke originates from agricultural burns that have been taking place in the Southeast US and Lower Mississippi Valley regions over the last couple of days. There also appears to be elevated dust mixed with the area of smoke and the entire plume of aerosols is drifting east/southeast. DUST Gulf of Mexico/South-central US: A large area of Saharan dust was moved west from the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico before being pulled northward across the western Gulf by Tropical Depression Bill with the remnants of Bill now over southwestern Missouri. The optically thick dust appears to extend north over the eastern portions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and eastern Arkansas though cloud cover likely obscures some of its extent. -Cronin/Sheffler 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