Saturday, September 25, 2021

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0140Z September 26, 2021

SMOKE:
California/Northwestern U.S./Pacific...
The KNP Complex fire in the Sequoia National Park of southern
California continued to burn vigorously during the afternoon and evening
hours. Moderate-to-thick smoke plumes were dispersing primarily westward
across the San Joaquin Valley, reaching the coastal areas from Monterey
to Santa Maria and advancing southwestward for approximately 500
miles over the Pacific Ocean. Light-to-moderate smoke was spiraling
counterclockwise over the Pacific reaching areas to the south in
northern Baja California. Several wildfires were also observed over
northern California, central-southern Oregon, northern and central Idaho,
western and central Montana, producing light to locally moderate smoke
progressing mostly to the east.

Mississippi Valley...
An area of predominantly light density smoke was observed traveling
eastward from Oklahoma and northern Texas, across the Mississippi Valley,
and into Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. A small pocket of moderate
density smoke was embedded in the larger light density plume covering
the Louisiana and Arkansas border.

Northwestern Atlantic...
A detached light density plume left over from the western U.S. wildfires
was detected approximately 200 miles east of the New England coastline
and just south of Nova Scotia.

DUST:
Central Atlantic...
Light Saharan dust was seen entering the HMS domain approximately 500
miles east of the eastern Caribbean islands.

YL


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.