DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0400Z July 13, 2015
SMOKE: Canada/US: Large areas of smoke, ranging from light to heavy-densities, are visible over extended areas of Canada and US. Due to the wildfires currently burning in southwestern to south central Canada as well as northern/central Saskatchewan, smoke continues to be visible moving eastward from the west. Heavy density smoke spreads across central Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Moderately dense smoke is seen across Alberta through Quebec, and south into the US Northeast and Canadian Maritimes. Also, across northern/central Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, most of Ontario (not far southwestern section due to clouds), and into western Quebec. In the US the northern Great Lakes region, the northeast US and the Canadian Maritimes/Atlantic Ocean. Lighter smoke is seen as far north as northwest Nunavut and NW Territories, and as far south as northern Montana, North Dakota, the Midwest, and east through Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey. Cloud cover across the Northwest Pacific, western/northern Canada is blocking the view of current and residual smoke from wildfires burning in British Columbia. Alaska: Wildfires located mainly across central Alaska is producing moderately dense to dense smoke westward across central/western Alaska and into the eastern edge of the Bering Sea. The heaviest smoke is in the central section of the state moving offshore towards Russia. Overall, northern/central regions of the state are covered by various densities of smoke and spreading eastward as far as the Yukon Territory border. Pacific NW: A large area of light density smoke is moving NE from several wildfires in Washington state. The smoke is visible moving into Idaho, Montana, and north into British Columbia. DUST Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic Ocean/Southern Plains/Mississippi Valley/Southeastern US: A large area of Saharan dust visible moving west in satellite imagery over the Caribbean and crossing over the northern/central Yucatan Peninsula and into the southwestern sections of the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, the dust is visible making its way eastward across the eastern edge of the Southern Plains into the Mississippi Valley/Southeast and off the northern Florida, Georgia and southeastern North Carolina coast. The dust in the southeast US and off the Atlantic Coast may be a mix of other aerosols, including smoke from the fires burning in the Southeast, notably Florida. AEROSOLS: California/Nevada: A band of unknown aerosols is visible making its way east across southern California and Nevada. The band is visible at sunset. Oegerle 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