DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z July 3, 2020
SMOKE:
Four Corners/Intermountain West…
Continued wildfire activity throughout the Four Corners and Intermountain
West regions was observed throughout the day. New fires, one in Idaho
and one in Utah (Canal fire), in addition to persistent activity in
Arizona and New Mexico (mainly the Cub, Vics Peak, and Wood Springs 2
fires) were producing moderate to thick smoke this afternoon. The most
prolific smoke producing fire is the yet un-named fire along the northern
rim of the Snake River Plain in Idaho. This fire was producing copious
amounts of thick smoke extending along the Idaho/Montana border to near
Yellowstone National Park as sundown approached. Most smoke was moving
off toward the northeast.
Pacific Northwest…
An area of remnant thin density smoke was visible over portions of western
Washington and western Oregon and off the Pacific Northwest coast. Cloud
cover in the region and offshore to the west and northwest over the Gulf
of Alaska limited additional information on the extent and density of
any residual smoke in the region for much of the day until the lower sun
angle at sunset revealed a slightly further west extension of smoke. All
smoke in the region is believed to be from wildfires burning in Siberia
and was over southern Alaska and the Yukon yesterday.
Kansas/Oklahoma…
Continued presumably agricultural burning was observed across
south-central Kansas and north-central Oklahoma this afternoon. Smoke
was light in nature and favored a north to northwest movement.
Oahu…
A fire in western Oahu was observed emitting smoke that was moving off
to the west-southwest to due west over the open Pacific Ocean. The smoke
was of mixed density, mainly light, but some moderate to thick density
smoke observed as well.
Bahamas…
Two fires on the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas were observed emitting
moderate to thick density smoke this afternoon. The smoke was moving
off toward the northeast out into the Atlantic Ocean
DUST:
Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico/Southern CONUS/Western
Subtropical Atlantic…
Saharan dust was observable from the African Coast to Mexico and Texas
this afternoon and evening. The Saharan dust was most concentrated in
four areas: off the eastern CONUS coast along a frontal boundary extending
back towards northern Florida, over the western Gulf of Mexico, from the
Dominican Republic eastward to east of the Leeward and Windward islands,
and a new push of Saharan dust entering the tropical Atlantic. The Saharan
dust blanketing the eastern Caribbean Sea and the new area of Saharan
dust were marching westward, while the dust over the western Gulf of
Mexico was stagnating and the dust over Florida and off the east coast
was moving off toward the northeast.
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