DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0310Z August 20, 2021

SMOKE:
U.S./Canada/Atlantic...
Ongoing wildfire activity throughout the western U.S. and southern
British Columbia continues to produce thick smoke.  The smoke from
these fires was accumulating in California’s central valley with
transport southward from the Pacific Northwest into northern
California and off the coast.  Remnant smoke was observed from
southern California, across southern Nevada, Utah, and into the
Intermountain West and Dakotas.  From there, the smoke moved into
southern Canada, where smoke then moved eastward.  As the main area
of smoke moved eastward, some was drawn southward over the Great
Lakes, Mississippi Valley, and into the Northeast.  The main area of
remnant smoke then extends out across eastern Canada and into the
northern Atlantic.

Alaska/Canada...
Remnant smoke was observed across northern Alaska, northern Yukon,
and the Northwest Territories earlier on Thursday.  The likely source
of this smoke was cross-polar transport from the Russian Federation.


DUST:
Atlantic...
Moderate density Saharan dust was observed blanketing most of the
tropical Atlantic and extended westward across the Leeward Islands
and Puerto Rico.

Konon


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:   http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/currenthms.jpg
GIS:    ftp://satpsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/FIRE/HMS/GIS/
KML:    http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/fire.kml (fire)
        http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/smoke.kml (smoke)

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE SENT TO:
SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov

Unless otherwise indicated:

Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.

Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.

A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.

Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.