DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1630Z July 17, 2015
SMOKE Central and Northern Canada: Areas of light to medium-density remnant smoke are visible throughout northern and central Canada although cloud cover made it difficult to distinguish the full extent of these areas of smoke. Areas of light density remnant smoke is visible extending from Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, NW Territories, Nunavut towards the Hudson Bay. An individual plume of light density smoke was also visible moving SE from Saskatchewan and Manitoba into Montana. This area of smoke originates from Alaska and Canadian wildfires in Saskatchewan, NW Territories, and Alberta. The heaviest smoke is visible extending from Alberta through Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario into the Hudson Bay. Eastern Canada/US: Areas of light to medium-density smoke is visible over a majority of eastern Canada and the US northeast. The heaviest smoke is visible in Quebec, NewFoundland and Labrador, Anticosti Island, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, St. Pierre and Miquelon, as well as Massachusetts to the south. Lighter smoke is visible extending through the entirety of eastern Canada, as well as New England including Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and the New Jersey shore. This smoke originates from the wildfires continuing to burn in Canada and Alaska. Alaska: Areas of light to medium-density smoke are visible around the the entirety of the northern Alaskan coast. Smoke is visible moving west offshore in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas as well. Due to the majority of cloud cover in the area, it is difficult to determine how far the smoke extends as well as the density compared to the clouds. This smoke originates from the wildfire complexes currently burning in the central region of the state. DUST US Midwest: Plumes of blowing dust is visible moving through a majority of the Midwest region this morning. Areas affected include Iowas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana moving eastward. This dust is Saharan in origin and has been blowing through the Atlantic and Caribbean into the US. Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico/Southeast US: A large area of Saharan dust is moving westward across the Atlantic, the Caribbean and into the southern Gulf of Mexico. This area of dust is defined but also diffuse and has moved across the southern Gulf of Mexico and along the Mexico/Texas coastline. Also seen in imagery is dust moving across the southeast and off the Atlantic coast around the Carolinas towards the east. This dust may be mixed in with other aerosols. 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