July 4, 2006
A hazy and smoky 4th of July
Happy 4th of July!
The Southeast was very hazy today with AOD levels reaching 1.0 over Virginia and North Carolina. Haze can be seen in the MODIS Terra image, and high AOD can be seen in the corresponding IDEA image below.
A plume of what looks like smoke can be seen in the MODIS Terra image and corresponding IDEA image below stretching from Iowa to Michigan. A smoke plume can also be seen in the top of the same Terra image over Canada. The NOAA Fire Hazard Mapping System reported a huge smoke plume covering most of Canada and the Northern USA today (see HMS).
PM2.5 levels are mostly in the Moderate range in the East, but some areas reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups to Unhealthy levels. PM2.5 levels were also Moderate in Southern California (refer to EPA AIRNow).
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