Wednesday, August 11, 2021

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0129Z August 12, 2021

SMOKE:
Pacific off California and Oregon coast/Western and Central U.S./Great
Lakes region/Eastern third of U.S…
A large area of smoke mainly attributed to wildfires occurring in
the western U.S. with some contribution from wildfires in southern
British Columbia was seen stretching from off the coast of Oregon and
California to the east and inland over much of the western U.S. and
across the Rockies to the Northern and Central Plains. The smoke then
continued over the Great Lakes region and Middle Mississippi Valley
where it then fanned out as it covered roughly the eastern third of
the U.S. The thickest smoke was seen in a band extending from Oregon
and northern and central California eastward over portions of Nevada,
Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Minnesota. Moderately dense
smoke appeared to be over the Great Lakes region, the Ohio Valley region,
and a large portion of the northeastern US.

Western Canada…
Areas of smoke were visible over portions of British Columbia and Alberta
attributed to wildfires occurring primarily in British Columbia. Patches
of moderately dense to thick smoke were visible closer to some of the more
active wildfires and in the valley regions of southern British Columbia.

Eastern Canada and Western/Central Atlantic...
Smoke transport primarily from recent central and western Canadian and
western U.S. wildfire activity was continuing this morning with smoke of
varying density spreading to the northeast and east over southeastern
Ontario, Hudson Bay, much of Quebec, the Canadian Maritimes, a portion
of the Labrador Sea, and well out over the Atlantic south of Greenland.

DUST:
Caribbean Sea...
A thin layer of Saharan dust was visible over the eastern Caribbean Sea.

Eglin


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

 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.