DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0345Z November 15, 2017
SMOKE: South Central and Southeastern US... Numerous seasonal fires were detected across the region stretching from eastern Texas to southern Georgia and the Florida panhandle region. Many individual smoke plumes of primarily thin density were also visible with these fires with the vast majority of the smoke plumes moving off to the west and southwest. Southwestern US... Nearly a dozen or so thin to moderately dense smoke plumes were seen with fires over the Southwestern US with the fires and smoke especially prominent over north central, central, and east central Arizona. California/Northwestern US/Southwestern Canada... A large number of seasonal fires were noted over the northern half of California, much of the Northwestern US, British Columbia, and Alberta though very little smoke could be seen due to clouds periodically passing across the region. DUST: Gulf of Alaska... A swath of thin to moderately dense blowing glacial silt was still seen originating from the Copper River Basin and extending well to the south over the Gulf of Alaska. A bit farther to the east, a smaller and somewhat thinner area of blowing glacial silt was visible moving to the southwest over Yakutat Bay and the northeastern Gulf of Alaska. 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