Monday, August 28, 2023

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0100Z August 29, 2023

SMOKE:
Canada/Alaska/Northwestern&North-Central CONUS/Greenland/Iceland/British
Isles…
Smoke from persistent wildfire activity across western Canada was seen
extending from BC and Northwest Territory east-southeastward across the
Canadian Rockies, Prairie Provinces, the Northern Plains, and the Great
Lakes. Another area of thicker smoke attributed to this activity was
seen across the Canadian Maritime Provinces, Davis Strait, Greenland,
the North Atlantic, Iceland, and reaching the British Isles. Wildfire
activity across the Pacific Northwest and northern California was also
seen producing thick smoke that was being drawn northward from California
along the Pacific coast into BC where the smoke was then being drawn out
westward over the Pacific and into a low pressure system off the Pacific
Northwest coast. Across British Columbia, smoke from both major sources
was seen merging.

Western Gulf of Mexico…
Light smoke was seen across the western Gulf of Mexico and surrounding
coastal areas. The smoke is likely a result of agricultural burning
across the southeastern CONUS and Great Plains with some contributions
from remnant Canadian Wildfire smoke. The smoke appears to be moving
southward into the western Bay of Campeche.


DUST:
Eastern Atlantic…
Thick Saharan Dust was seen across much of the North Atlantic from 40W
eastward. Some lighter dust was seen extending westward to just northeast
of the Caribbean islands. There may be some very light dust that exists
across the Caribbean as well.


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 map:	https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/currenthms.jpg
Smoke data:
https://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/FIRE/web/HMS/Smoke_Polygons
Fire data:
https://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/FIRE/web/HMS/Fire_Points

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.