Friday, June 26, 2015

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z June 27, 2015

SMOKE
Alaska/Canada/Northern Plains:
An expansive area of light to heavy density remnant smoke was observed
throughout Alaska, Canada and the Northern Plains this afternoon/evening.
This large area of remnant smoke formed from many wildfires in
southwestern/central Alaska that produced moderate to heavy smoke
which moved eastward into Yukon, north of the Mackenzie mountain range,
then to the southeast into the Northwest Territories and merged with
smoke that originated from wildfires in northern Saskatchewan, northern
Alberta and the Northwest Territories.  Optically thick remnant smoke
was seen encompassing the Northwest Territories, northeast Saskatchewan,
and northern Manitoba.  This area of heavy smoke became more diffuse
as the remnant smoke was seen moving from Saskatchewan southeastward
into Manitoba, the eastern portions of the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Iowa.
Light to moderate density remnant smoke was also seen over Nunavut, Hudson
Bay, Ontario, and western Quebec.  Although the optically thick area
of smoke could be seen moving into this region from the west-northwest.
Several isolated moderate density smoke plumes were seen in northeastern
British Columbia, and northern Alberta and were moving to the east.

Southwestern US/Pacific Northwest:
An area of light to moderate density remnant smoke was seen over the
southwestern US moving north into Oregon and spilling eastward into Idaho.
The majority of this smoke originated from three wildfires, which were
comprised of a wildfire called Washington located south of Lake Tahoe
in California, a wildfire called Lake fire in San Bernardino county
California and another wildfire in northwestern Baja.  Clouds covering
California and Nevada currently obscure the two wildfires in California
but the wildfire in Baja continues to produce light to moderate density
smoke to the northwest. Another light to moderate density smoke plume
could be seen moving to the west from a wildfire in the southern portions
of Coconino county Arizona.

DUST
Southeast US:
An area of heavy density Saharan dust is visible moving eastward through
the southeast US affecting Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, and North
Carolina as it moves offshore into the Atlantic Ocean.  The full extent
of this area of dust is difficult to determine due to cloud coverage
from multiple areas of convection.

-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

 


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.