DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0115Z August 20, 2024
SMOKE: Canada/Midwest 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 western, 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 Midwest to the Coastal Atlantic regions of the United States. This mixed density smoke was seen extending from the western parts of the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, into Nunavut, through central Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and then moving east-southeast through Ontario and into the Midwest region of the United States. The smoke continued east over the Labrador Sea before extending further into the northern Atlantic Ocean near the coasts of western Europe. Moderate density smoke was observed covering areas throughout north-central and eastern Canada, across the Hudson Bay, and extending southwest into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of western Canada. Thick density smoke was mainly concentrated closer to the sources of the wildfires, observed over western Nunavut, central Saskatchewan, and western Ontario. Seasonal fire activity across the Southeast region of the United States continues to produce a layer of light density smoke that was seen extending eastward into the Atlantic Ocean. DUST: A moderate amount of Saharan Dust was seen traveling westward across the Atlantic Ocean towards the Lesser Antilles. A light amount of dust was also seen in the Southern Caribbean Sea. Nguyen 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