DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z July 19, 2015
SMOKE: Alaska/Central and Northern Canada/Northern Plains: Several areas of light density smoke with embedded bands of moderate smoke were seen throughout Alaska, northern/central Canada and the Northern Plains in between extensive cloud cover throughout Canada and Alaska. An area of light density remnant smoke from Alaskan Wildfires was seen moving east from northern Alaska to northern Yukon. In the northern portions of the Gulf of Alaska a band of light density smoke was seen moving to the south of Kodiak Island. A large north-south oriented band of light density remnant smoke was seen from the western portions of Victoria Island and the Amundsen Gulf south to the Great Slave lake before it becomes obscured from clouds. An area of light to moderate density smoke was seen moving slowly to the southeast in eastern Montana, southeastern Saskatchewan, southwestern Manitoba, eastern Montana, and the Dakotas. Eastern Canada/Greenland: An area of light density remnant smoke was observed north of Quebec over the Hudson Straight into the southern portions of Baffin Island and northeast to the southern coast of Greenland. This area of smoke originated from Canadian and Alaskan wildfires and was relatively stationary. Southern British Columbia/Pacific Northwest: Multiple wildfires were seen in central Oregon, northwestern Washington and southern British Columbia. Light to heavy density smoke plumes were associated with these fires and were primarily moving to the south. Central Plains: A mixture of light density remnant smoke and Saharan dust was visible over northern half of Kansas, southeast corner of Nebraska , northwestern Missouri and southern Iowa. The smoke likely originated from the wildfire in southern California called North and this area of aerosols was seen moving to the northeast. DUST: Central U.S: Areas of Saharan dust are visible across much of the central U.S, seen moving inland from the Gulf of Mexico into Texas and is moving northward through the southern Plains and over much of the Mississippi Valley. The dust is visible as far north as central Nebraska. Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico: Another surge of Saharan dust is seen moving across the Atlantic towards the U.S. Its current extent appears to remain offshore of Florida as well as into central portions of the Gulf of Mexico. -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