DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z September 16, 2015
SMOKE: Central U.S: A diffuse area of light density smoke remains draped across the central U.S, generally seen from the southern Plains extending northward through the central/northern Plains and through portions of the Midwest as well as into parts of southwestern Ontario. A thin area of moderate density smoke is visible on the eastern periphery of this plume, generally from Iowa/Illinois and to the north into southwestern Ontario. This area of smoke is moving east and is remnant smoke originating from wildfires in California and the Pacific NW. Western Canada: An area of detached light density smoke is seen drifting northward through northern Alberta, northeastern British Columbia, southwestern portions of the Northwest Territories and southeastern parts of the Yukon Territory. This smoke is likely remnant smoke from wildfires occurring in the western U.S. Mississippi Valley: A large amount of agricultural burning is occurring across much of the Mississippi Valley, and a substantial amount of these fires are producing small light density smoke plumes generally moving towards the northwest. Heeps From earlier today... Western and Central US: A large area of light to medium-density smoke is visible this moving moving east extending from Minnesota to Texas. The heaviest areas of smoke include Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, and Missouri. Areas affected by lighter smoke include Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. This remnant smoke originates from the wildfires currently burning in California and the Pacific NW. Due to the visual limitations of GOES-W, it is difficult to determine how far east smoke extends this morning. Additionally, it is also difficult to determine how far west the smoke extends from the wildfires, due to the extensive cloud cover in California, Nevada, and Utah this morning. Great Lakes: A detached plume of light density smoke is visible moving NE from Minnesota into southern Canada. Smoke is visible in Minnesota, Manitoba, Ontario, and western Quebec. This smoke originates from the wildfires that continue to burn in California and the Pacific NW. 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