DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z August 19, 2015

SMOKE:
Western US//SW Canada/US Plains:
Large areas of smoke ranging from light to heavy density smoke is visible
through a majority of western and central US as well as southern Canada,
notably SW Canada. The heaviest smoke is visible in California, Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, Montana. Moderate density smoke is visible in this
region as well, extending south into Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico,
and NW Mexico. The lighter smoke spreads as far east as Kansas and as
far north as southern British Columbia.

Western Gulf of Mexico:
An area of medium-density smoke is visible traveling up the coast of
Mexico from the Bay of Campeche due to agricultural burning in the area.

Northeast US/Eastern Canada:
An area of residual light smoke is seen as far south as the coast of
New York and extending north across the northeast into New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Road Island and as far north as Maine and
Nova Scotia. An additional plume of moderate smoke is visible to the
north, extending from New Brunswick over Saint Pierre and Miquelon into
the Atlantic Ocean. This smoke originates  from the wildfires in the
Pacific Northwest is visible through central Ontario, southern Hudson
Bay and into western Quebec.

AEROSOLS:
Alaska:
A plume of unknown aerosols is visible in the Bay of Alaska moving SE
towards coast. It is unclear whether this plume is made up of remnant
smoke or dust from Asia.

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

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.