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