Monday, June 15, 2020

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1800Z June 15, 2020

Corrected to add section on Saharan Dust...

SMOKE:
Central US/Canada…
An expansive region of light to moderate remnant smoke extends from the
Four Corners region into northern Alberta and into the Carolinas. A ridge
across the central us and a trough over the northern Rockies were helping
to bring the remnant smoke from previous days’s activity northward
well into central Canada then southward to the Gulf Coast and east into
a cyclone over the Appalachians. The parent wildfire activity in the
Four Corners was also still producing varying density smoke. The most
intense smoke production is coming from a fire in north-central Arizona,
one in southwestern Colorado, and a fire in east-central Arizona. The
smoke plumes from these fires were generally moving northeastward, but
local topography was affecting where smoke from these fires as well. One
lone fire in Oklahoma was also producing thick smoke, along with some
lighter plumes in Kansas.

Alaska/Northern Yukon…
Wildfire activity continues across the northern Yukon Territory. The
moderately dense to thick smoke emanating from this activity was moving
off toward the west, then was moving north and then east as the smoke
enters Alaska. Further activity over southwestern Alaska was also
producing a sizable area of light smoke that was moving west-northwest,
then off toward the northeast.

BLOWING DUST:
Tropical Atlantic Ocean…
A new loading of Saharan Dust was moving off the African coast and into
the central Tropical Atlantic, about as far east as 40W longitude. The
leading edge of the dust plume was moving off toward the west.

Hosley


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/data/land/fire/currenthms.jpg
GIS:    ftp://satpsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/FIRE/HMS/GIS/
KML:    http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/fire.kml (fire)
        http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/smoke.kml (smoke)

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.