DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z April 17, 2016
SMOKE: Central US: Significant cloudiness over the Central US significantly limited fire and smoke detection in satellite imagery. Middle Atlantic and Central Appalachians to the Great Lakes Region: Widely scattered fires were analyzed from the Middle Atlantic and Central Appalachians to the Great Lakes region with a number of visible smoke plumes seen as well. DUST: Baja/Gulf of California/Eastern Pacific/Northwestern Mexico: A large area of aerosol was visible late in the day with the favorable lower sun angle over portions of Baja, the Gulf of California, the eastern pacific off the west coast of Baja, and northwestern Mexico. This dust was believed to be leftover mostly from yesterday's strong winds over the Southwestern US and northwestern Mexico though a little additional blowing dust was also detected this afternoon spreading southward from the desert regions in southeastern California and northwestern Mexico. Southwestern Canada/Western Montana/Idaho/Northern and Western Utah/Far Eastern Nevada: A swath of thin density aerosol was visible stretching from central Saskatchewan and southern Alberta southward over western Montana, Idaho, northern and western Utah, and far eastern Nevada. This aerosol was believed to be leftover blowing dust from Asia transported by weather systems across the Pacific. JS 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