Thursday, December 7, 2017

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0330Z December 8, 2017

SMOKE:
Southern California...
Thick smoke continues to spread to the west and southwest and well out
over the Pacific from the ongoing wildfires burning in Ventura County
of southern California. The smoke then thins out but also fans out as
it continues to move off the coast with some of the thinner density
smoke appearing to re-curve back inland a bit farther up the coast over
central California. Additional fires broke out over western Riverside
and northwestern San Diego counties of far southern California as well
as over the border in northwestern Baja with smoke plumes of varying
density rapidly spreading to the west and southwest and offshore.

DUST:
Southern California/Western and Southern Arizona/Northern Baja...
In addition to the smoke from wildfire activity, satellite imagery also
appeared to show some streaks of mainly thinner density blowing dust
emanating from sources in southern California and northern Baja and
quickly spreading to the west and southwest and offshore mixing with
the smoke in spots. An area of thin density blowing dust was visible
moving southward over southern Arizona and across northwestern Mexico
with the dust appearing to become thicker as it spread out over the Gulf
of California. A narrow swath of blowing dust was also noted moving to
the south-southwest from a point source near the Mohave-Yavapai border
in west central Arizona.

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

 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.