DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z June 20, 2020
SMOKE:
Large area from the Southwestern U.S. to the Central, Northeastern,
and Southeastern U.S./South Central to Southeastern Canada…
The pattern continues with a very large leftover mass of thin density
smoke present again today emanating from wildfires in the Southwestern
U.S. and covering the region from Arizona and southern Utah eastward
and northeastward across the Central U.S. and up over South Central
and Southeastern Canada as well as the northern part of Maine. Another
branch of the leftover thin density smoke extended over a portion of the
Southeastern U.S. and the northern Gulf of Mexico. Within this large
area of thin density smoke was a region of moderate to thick density
smoke which stretched from central and eastern Arizona and southeastern
Utah over southern Colorado, northern New Mexico, western Kansas, western
Oklahoma, and northwestern Texas. It was not known if the thicker smoke
extended any farther to the east due to significant cloud cover over the
Central Plains. New moderately dense to thick smoke was seen near the
Mangum, Bush, and Bighorn Fires in Arizona. Also, two wildfires burning
in southeastern Quebec in southeastern Canada were observed producing
long plumes of moderate to thick density smoke. This smoke was extending
to the east and southeast over northern New Brunswick and Newfoundland
and into the North Atlantic.
Western and Southern Mexico…
Seasonal fire activity over western and southern Mexico resulted in a
large area of thin density smoke over the region and extending offshore
to the west and south over the nearby Pacific. Smaller patches of locally
moderate to thick density smoke were visible near some of the fires in
this region as well.
DUST:
Atlantic east of Puerto Rico…
The thinner leading edge of what is a very significant area of
Saharan dust had entered the Caribbean Sea about as far west as Puerto
Rico. Thicker Saharan dust was approcaching the Leeward Islands.
JS & 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