DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2000Z July 31, 2009
Alaska/Western Canada: A large area of smoke continues to cover most of Alaska and western Canada from the numerous wildfires that have been burning for weeks in central/eastern Alaska and parts of the Yukon Territory. An area of thin to moderately dense smoke is located in central Alaska and spreads east into Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Pockets of dense to very dense smoke extend as far north as the Arctic Sea and then spread south across most of the Yukon Territory and east into the Northwest Territories. Another pocket of dense to very dense smoke has moved farther south into a large section of northern/central Alberta with some moderately dense smoke in eastern British Columbia. Most of British Columbia is under a thin area of smoke. British Columbia/Washington/Oregon/Idaho/Montana: Numerous wildfires also continue to burn over the Pacific Northwest and southern British Columbia. A large area of thin smoke mainly associated with these fires is seen over a good portion of southern British Columbia, Washington, northern/central Oregon, northern Idaho and east into western sections of Montana. There are some small pockets of moderately dense smoke across British Columbia. Currently in GOES 12/11 satellite imagery, the smoke from the British Columbia wildfires is not quite combining with the smoke from the Alaska/Northwest Canada wildfires, but late evening GOES-12 imagery might prove different. We will wait to see. J KIBLER More information on the areas of smoke described above as well as others can be found at the locations listed below. THE FORMAT OF THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS BEING MODIFIED. IT WILL NO LONGER DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS PLUMES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES. THESE PLUMES ARE DEPICTED IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC FORMATS ON OUR WEB SITE: JPEG: http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/hms.html GIS: http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm KML: http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/kml.html THIS TEXT PRODUCT WILL CONTINUE TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SMOKE WHICH HAVE BECOME DETACHED FROM AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE SOURCE FIRE, TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. IT WILL ALSO STILL INCLUDE DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOWING DUST. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THESE CHANGES OR THE SMOKE TEXT PRODUCT IN GENERAL SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov