DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z August 1, 2017
SMOKE: Area from Southwestern Canada to Eastern Canada and the Northeastern US/Area from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington to the North Central US... A combination of wildfire activity scattered over southern Canada from southern British Columbia to Ontario and wildfire activity over northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana was responsible for 2 large masses of smoke which merged near the North Central US-South Central Canada border and continued to spread to the east. The leading portion of the thin density smoke extended as far east as Quebec and northern New England. Moderately dense to thick smoke blanketed the area from southern British Columbia to southern Manitoba and from northern California and southern Oregon to North Dakota. Very dense smoke was seen just prior to sunset emanating from the fires in southern British Columbia, western Montana, central Idaho, northern and northeastern Washington, and northeastern California. Alaska/Northern Yukon... Fires over central, eastern, and northeastern Alaska are producing a region of light density smoke which moved to the east and northeast over the northern Yukon and the northern part oft the Northwest Territories Northwest Territories... Fires scattered over the western and norther part of the Northwest Territories are responsible for a mixed density smoke layer over that portion of the province though some of the leftover thin density smoke from the eastern Alaska fires has moved to the east and is affecting this area as well. Farther to the south, fires flared again over the southern Northwest Territories resulting in numerous significant smoke plumes which spread to the south into northeastern Alberta and northwestern Saskatchewan. DUST: Puerto Rico... The leading edge of an area of Saharan dust was visible this afternoon and early evening moving over the Windward/Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. 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