DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1715Z August 16, 2024
SMOKE: Canada/Central and Eastern United States/Gulf of Mexico/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 eastern region of the United States. This mixed density smoke was seen extending from the central parts of the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, through central Saskatchewan and Manitoba, moving 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 across the Southeast region of the United States resulted in a layer of light density smoke that was seen extending south-southeast into the eastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico, where it began moving further east into the Atlantic Ocean towards Hurricane Ernesto. The area of smoke covering the eastern parts of Canada and the northeastern part of the United States was predominantly moderate in density, with some areas of localized thick density smoke moderate density smoke seen throughout eastern Canada, the Northeast region of the United States and the northern Atlantic Ocean. A band of moderate-thick density smoke was also observed moving southeast through the Midwest region of the United States, extending from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. A significant amount of cloud cover throughout the Pacific Northwest region prevented the full extent of today’s analysis of thick density smoke in the area, however, moderate density smoke was observed. Based on previous observations it can be presumed that thick smoke is present in the area but concealed by cloud cover. California/Pacific Northwest... 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. Plumes ranging from light-to-moderate were observed emanating from these wildfires, blanketing the area with a layer of moderate density smoke. DUST: A moderate amount of Saharan Dust was seen traveling westward across the Atlantic Ocean towards with a lighter amount of Saharan Dust seen over the central 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