DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1700Z August 8, 2021
SMOKE:
Canada/Lower 48…
An expansive mass of varying density smoke attributed to the ongoing
significant wildfire activity occurring especially in central, south
central, and southwestern Canada, and parts of the western U.S. was
again visible covering much of the lower 48 and Canada. Thicker areas
of smoke were seen stretching from California to the east and northeast
over the Rockies to the Northern and Central Plains with the leading
edge of the thicker smoke possibly reaching as far east as the Middle
Mississippi Valley region though cloudiness interfered some in this
area. More thick smoke was located over central and south central
Canada along with Hudson Bay though cloudiness scattered over parts
of Manitoba and Saskatchewan likely limited additional fire and smoke
detection in satellite imagery. Farther to the southeast, a band of thick
smoke extended to the east across southern Quebec and nearly reaching
Maine. Moderately dense smoke was visible from the Great Lakes region
to portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Farther to the west,
relatively thinner density smoke from the fires in British Columbia
and northern Alberta appeared to spread to the west and southwest and
off the coast of British Columbia before turning to the south and back
inland over Oregon and northern California where it merged with smoke
from the wildfires in those states. Areas of varying density smoke were
also seen over portions of Washington and southeastern British Columbia
though cloud cover farther to the north in British Columbia and Alberta
limited additional fire and smoke detection in satellite imagery.
Alaska/Northwestern Canada…
Extensive cloud cover again limited fire and smoke detection in satellite
imagery though enough breaks in the clouds allowed for a very long and
narrow west-east oriented band of thin density smoke which extended from
northeastern Alaska over the northern Yukon and Northwest Territories in
northwestern Canada. This smoke was likely leftover from recent wildfire
activity over portions of eastern Alaska and northwestern Canada.
DUST:
Puerto Rico/Eastern and Southeastern Caribbean…
A thin layer of Saharan dust was visible spreading slowly to the west
across the Windward and Leeward Islands and nearing Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands.
JS
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