Friday July 10, 2015

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1800Z July 10, 2015

Canada/Pacific Northwest/Northern/Central Plains/Northern Mississippi
Valley/Great Lakes/New York/Northeast US:
A vast area of light density smoke that originated from Canadian
wildfires was observed over a large section of southern/central Canada
and northern and parts of the central US.  Light smoke extended over
extreme northern Washington, southern British Columbia, southern/central
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, most of Quebec, northern Montana, the
Dakotas, northern Nebraska, all of Minnesota, Iowa Michigan, Wisconsin,
northwest Illinois and western New York.  Embedded within this area of
light density smoke was an impressive band of elevated moderate to heavy
density remnant smoke  stretching from central British Columbia, southeast
Alberta, southwest Saskatchewan, northeast Montana, northwest to southeast
North Dakota, northeast South Dakota, southern Minnesota,  and across
northeast Iowa and southern Wisconsin.  Then, the heavier smoke starts
again in northern New York and into the northeast US.   The wildfires in
Canada continue to produce smoke in southern British Columbia although
the smoke emitted by these wildfires was staying relatively stationary.
The wildfires in central Saskatchewan are producing many moderate to heavy
density smoke plumes that have merged and are moving south and eastward.

Northeast Canada/North Atlantic Ocean:
An of area of light to moderate density remnant smoke was seen stretching
across most of northern/central Quebec and exiting eastern Canada
into the North Atlantic Ocean this morning/early afternoon in GOES-13
satellite imagery.   The heaviest smoke extends  from central Quebec
and moving east over Newfoundland,  Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick
and northern Nova Scotia.  This area of remnant smoke originated from
wildfires in central Canada.

Alaska:
Extensive cloud cover remains across the region with an area of smoke seen
in satellite imagery this morning extending across east-central Alaska
and into northern/central Yukon Territory.  Wildfires concentrated in
the central part of the state are contributing to the smoke aloft.

DUST:
Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic Ocean:
An area of Saharan dust was seen moving west in satellite imagery over the
southern region of the Gulf of Mexico.  The dust in the central region
of the Gulf Mexico is very light.  Also, some of this dust appears to
have spread north and east over the Atlantic Ocean and seen in imagery
off the South Carolina/North Carolina coast moving east.

 -Kibler


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.