DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1700Z August 23, 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 and Mountain West regions of the United States, continues to be observed today throughout the majority of Canada and the West to the Northeast regions of the United States. This mixed density smoke was seen extending east-southeast from the central parts of the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, through north-central Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and over the Hudson Bay, before extending east-southeast over Newfoundland and Labrador and into the Labrador Sea before extending further into the northern Atlantic Ocean, reaching as far as the coasts of western Europe. The mixed density smoke was also seen extending to the south from Manitoba, through the Mississippi Valley, blanketing the Southeast region of the United States, where it extended further south into the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico. Areas of light-to-moderate smoke were observed along the Pacific Coast, while moderate-to-thick density smoke was observed covering areas extending from western to central Canada, the Hudson Bay and the northern Atlantic Ocean. Heavy cloud cover was present this morning throughout northern and western Canada and parts of the Pacific Northwest, preventing a more detailed analysis of smoke density in these regions. Despite the amount of cloud cover in the area, it can be assumed that moderate-to-thick density smoke is present close to ongoing and new wildfires throughout the regions mentioned, yet is concealed by the clouds overhead. North-West United States/Idaho/Wyoming/Montana... Several plumes of moderate-to-thick smoke were observed emanating from large wildfires located throughout central Idaho and northeast Wyoming, creating an area of moderate smoke blanketing the area. Smoke plumes from the wildfires present in Idaho were seen moving north-northeast into southern Alberta, through Montana and into Minnesota, while smoke from the large wildfire along the northern border of Wyoming was seen north-northeast through Montana and North Dakota. DUST: A moderate amount of Saharan Dust was seen traveling westward across the Atlantic Ocean towards the north-northeast of the Lesser Antilles 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