DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0323Z July 19, 2020
SMOKE:
Northern California…
The Mineral Fire continues to burn and was producing thick smoke visible
in satellite moving to the north, filling the San Joaquin and Sacramento
valleys with medium to light density smoke.
Pacific Northwest…
Light smoke was observed in the far reaches of northern California,
Washington and Oregon due to transport across the Pacific and smoke
blowing from the large fire activity of northern and central California.
Arizona into Southern California…
Wildfire activity in southwestern Arizona was producing light to
medium density smoke fanning as it move to the north. Light smoke
from the fire was observed in southern California as it expanded to the
north. Additional fire activity was also observed in central Arizona and
northern Arizona. Both fire regions were producing heavy density smoke
that fanned and thinned as it spread to the northwest prior to turning
to the southeast and accelerating.
Central Texas…
Fire activity in the heart of Texas was producing a plume of heavy
density smoke that thinned as it traveled far to the northwest.
Central Plains…
Scattered fire activity throughout the central plains was producing
primarily light density smoke that was moving due north in northern Texas,
Kansas and Oklahoma.
EARLIER TODAY...
SMOKE:
Northern California...
The Mineral Fire in the western San Joaquin Valley was observed emitting
thick smoke this morning. The smoke emissions were moving off toward the
west-northwest through the Salinas River valley, with some older smoke
continuing north-northwest into northern California as far north as the
northern Sacramento Valley to near Mount Shasta.
Pacific Northwest…
A sizable area of thin remnant smoke was observed across the Pacific
Northwest and the Pacific Ocean. This could either be transport from
Siberia or leftover from northward transport of smoke from the Mineral
Fire. Some of the smoke was moving south while some was also moving east.
Utah/Wyoming…
Thin to slightly thicker remnant smoke was observed extending from
northern Utah into southern Wyoming. This area of remnant was moving
off toward the east-northeast. The parent activity is likely either the
Mineral Fire in California or transport from Siberia.
Ohio and Tennessee Valleys into the Ozarks…
A thin area of remnant smoke was observed this morning moving
west-southwest across the Tennessee and Ohio valleys into the Ozarks. This
is likely the same remnant smoke observed yesterday over the northern
Plains and Great Lakes with some possible minor contribution from the
smoke emitted from fires across Texas and Oklahoma yesterday.
SAHARAN DUST:
Western Gulf of Mexico/Bay of Campeche/Eastern Mexico/Texas…
Saharan Dust was observed lingering over the area stretching from south
Texas into the Bay of Campeche drifting off toward the west.
Atlantic Ocean...
Another area of light density Saharan Dust was observed extending across
the Atlantic to an area north of Puerto Rico. A dense layer is also now
emerging from the African coast.
Levine
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