Friday, July 24, 2015

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z July 25, 2015

Smoke:
Alaska:
Wildfires in central Alaska continue to emit moderately dense to dense
smoke which is moving to the east.

Canada/Northern US:
A large area of light smoke exists over central Canada, including
Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as the northern
US including Montana and North Dakota.  This is likely remnant smoke
from wildfires in Alaska and British Columbia mixed with transported
Siberian smoke.

Western US:
A wide area of light smoke is moving into the western US from California,
through Oregon, Idaho and western Montana. Models suggest this smoke is
from Siberian fires.

Dust:
Saharan dust continues to move north through the Gulf of Mexico into
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana.

-Salemi

Earlier:
Smoke
Canada/Alaska:
Several large areas of thin smoke are seen across portions on Canada
and Alaska this morning.  One extends from northwest Nunavut/Northwest
Territories southward across parts of Alberta/Saskatchewan/Alberta and
into the northwestern US states of North and South Dakota, Montana,
northern Idaho, and northeast Washington.  Two other areas of smoke
exist, one over Ontario to the west and south of James Bay and another
over central and eastern Alaska/Yukon Territory.  These areas may are
all composed of smoke from different fires. The wildfires from Alaska are
still producing  light to moderate density smoke over central Alaska that
is expanding to the east and west. Wildfires in Siberia have produced
smoke that has traversed the Arctic and has infiltrated northwest
Canada. Smoke further south across the northwestern US and southern
Canada is likely either from fires in southern British Columbia or from
fires in the Northwest US. Finally the smoke over southeast Canada is
probably remnant from when numerous active fires were burning across
Canada a week or more ago.

California/Oregon/Idaho/Montana:
A large area of thin density smoke is seen over northwestern California,
Oregon, Idaho, and southwest Montana. This smoke is likely from fires
in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Dust:
Central U.S:
An area of haze, generally consisting of blowing dust likely transported
from Africa is extending from Texas northward across the Mississippi
Valley and the central Plains region. This area of dust is seen as far
north as Iowa and southern Minnesota. Models suggest that other aerosols
might also be mixed into the areas of blowing dust.

Nevada/Southern Idaho:
Aerosol is seen mixing between the clouds this morning over northern
Nevada/far southeast Oregon/southern Idaho. This is thought to be elevated
dust based on aerosol models. Some smoke may mix with the dust especially
along the northwestern edge.

Sheffler

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.