DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1730Z August 15, 2024
SMOKE: Canada/Central and Eastern United States/Atlantic Ocean... A layer of mixed density smoke attributed to a combination of seasonal burning throughout the United States and the significant amount of wildfire activity across north-central and central Canada, as well as the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, continues to be observed today throughout the majority of Canada and the northern and eastern parts of the United States. This mixed density smoke was seen extending from the central parts of British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, through central Alberta and Saskatchewan, central Nunavut, moving east-southeast over the Hudson Bay and Quebec and into the Northeast region of the United States, before extending further east over the Labrador Sea and parts of the northern Atlantic Ocean. Seasonal fire activity throughout the Southeastern region of the United States resulted in an area of light density smoke over the area that was seen extending south-southeast into the northeast portion of the Gulf of Mexico. The area of smoke covering the eastern parts of Canada and the northeastern part of the United States was observed as predominantly thick in density with areas of moderate density smoke seen throughout western Canada, the Pacific Northwest and portions of the North Central and Midwest regions of the United States. Despite a significant amount of cloud cover throughout the Pacific Northwest and northern and eastern Canada, moderate density smoke was observed, however, areas of thick density smoke may be concealed. California/Pacific Northwest... Mixed density smoke attributed to numerous wildfires throughout the Pacific Northwest region continue to be observed today, including the Boise and Park fires located in northern California, as well as several fires throughout British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon and Idaho. Cloud cover throughout the region prevented a more detailed analysis of smoke in the area, however, moderate density smoke was observed blanketing the Pacific Northwest region, and based on previous observations it can be presumed that areas of heavy density smoke are present in central British Columbia, western Oregon, central Idaho and northern California. DUST: A moderate amount of Saharan Dust was seen traveling westward across the Atlantic Ocean before reaching a weather system to the north of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Lighter amounts of Saharan Dust were seen moving southwest past the system, over the Lesser Antilles, and into the central Caribbean Sea, adding to the light amount of Saharan Dust already present in the area, creating a moderate amount of Saharan Dust seen in the Caribbean Sea. Willkens 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