Saturday July 18, 2015

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

 


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.