DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z August 16, 2020
SMOKE:
Utah to the Ozarks, Great Plains, and northern Mexico...
The Pine Gulch, Grizzly Peak, Williams Fork, and Cameron Peak fires
in Colorado were all producing thick smoke this afternoon, with
pyrocumulonimbus clouds observed over the Cameron Peak and Williams Fork
fires. The smoke from these fires extends east-southeast into the Ozarks,
with smoke also moving around the high pressure situated over the Four
Corners region, moving the smoke south into Texas, and then southwest
and west into and across northern Mexico. The smoke over the Plains
states is moderate in density, with thinner smoke elsewhere.
California/Pacific Northwest...
The Milepost 21, Six Rivers Lightning, and Red Salmon Complex fires
in far northwestern California have been producing thick smoke this
afternoon. This smoke was moving off toward the north. Thinner remnant
smoke have made its way offshore while also moving north and then
northeast across Oregon and over the Columbia River valley, entering
southern Washington state.
The Loyalton fire north of Lake Tahoe was also producing thick smoke in
the form of a Pyrocumulonimbus cloud. The smoke was moving off toward
the north-northeast, then northeast across Nevada into far southeastern
Oregon.
Southern California…
The Lake and Ranch2 fires were observed emitting moderate density smoke
this afternoon. The smoke was moving off to the north-northwest.
Idaho/Montana…
The Bear Cerrk fire along the Idaho-Montana border was producing moderate
to thick smoke this afternoon. The smoke from this fire was moving east
into far southwestern Montana.
DUST:
Tropical Atlantic...
A thin plume of Saharan dust was observed blanketing much of the tropical
Atlantic from Africa west to very near the Windward Islands. The dust
was also observed as far northwest as Tropical Storm Josephine, located
northeast of the Virgin Islands.
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