DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z August 2, 2016
SMOKE: Western US/Northern Plains: A large area of light density smoke could be seen moving generally eastward through the region. Small pockets of moderate density smoke were embedded within this area of light density smoke. The majority of the light to heavy density smoke plumes were seen throughout the Pacific Northwest and were traveling east-northeast. Gulf Coast: An area of light density smoke could be seen near/along the gulf coast from multiple large fires burning. These fires have persisted for multiple days. Clouds from a diurnal uptick in convection along the Gulf coast has limited the ability to detect the full extent of this area of smoke. Eastern Alaska/Western Canada: Light density remnant smoke from fires in Russia could be seen moving generally eastward across eastern Alaska and portions of western Canada. Central Canada: A broad area of light density remnant smoke was seen across central Canada from fires over northern Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, and from Russia over the past few days. This area of remnant smoke has wrapped around a low pressure system positioned in northeast Saskatchewan. Clouds associated with this system obscure the full extent of this smoke but it appears the majority of the smoke is located on the western periphery of the system and can be seen in-between cloud cover. DUST: Caribbean/Western Atlantic/Southeast US: Saharan dust can be seen moving westward across the Caribbean/tropical Atlantic spreading across the Bahamas, Florida, and the Southeast coast of the US. -Cronin 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