DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1730z September 30, 2020
SMOKE:
California/Pacific NW/Western Canada/Alaskan Panhandle/Northeast
Pacific...
Major wildfires throughout central and northern California continue to
produce moderate to thick smoke this morning. The region of light to
moderate smoke, with a couple thick areas of smoke, blankets an area
from southeastern Alaska to northwestern Montana and southern Alberta to
central California and into the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The thickest
smoke was observed emanating from the western flank of the SQF Complex,
the Wolf, the August Complex and the Bear Fires. Much of the smoke was
moving off the California coast and then mainly to the north-northeast
along the eastern periphery of a cyclone in the Gulf of Alaska, with
some drawn west into southeastern Alaska.
Front Range/Central Plains..
The Mullen fire in south-central Wyoming, along with some contribution
from the Cameron Peak Fire in north-central Colorado, is helping to
produce a large smoke plume that extends east-southeast across northeast
New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the northern Texas Panhandle, reaching
far western Arkansas near Fort Smith.
Atlantic...
A large area of light density remnant smoke was observed over the
north-central and northeastern Atlantic Ocean. The smoke was mainly moving
around an upper high centered around (41N, 44W). Some smoke was also
being drawn around an oblong sister low centered around (31N, 40W) and
also off toward the east-northeast from the Canary Islands into Europe.
DUST:
Atlantic...
A large plume of Saharan dust extends from the west African coast out
to north of the Leeward and Windward islands. The leading edge is moving
off toward the west-northwest.
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