July 23, 2009
Desert dust over the Gulf of Mexico and haze over Western Canada and some Northern US states
According to today’s HMS map (top, left) and the SSD fire team at NOAA, the large fire in the southern portion of British Columbia continues to generate dense smoke that travels southeast and now covers Southern Alberta, Eastern Montana, Western Dakotas and Nebraska. This leads to strong TERRA AOD values (top, right), especially, over Western Canada and Montana. Haze is clearly visible on today’s TERRA RGB image (bottom, left) over Montana.
Another region of strong TERRA AOD values is Southern Texas and over a part of the Gulf of Mexico. According to the SSD fire team, the Western Gulf of Mexico still appears hazy due to the sand/dust from the Saharan Desert which was transported across the Atlantic earlier in the week. A closer look at the TERRA RGB image (bottom, right) shows a mix of clouds and hazy conditions.
Today’s EPA AIRNow’s PM2.5 map shows, at the most, “moderate” conditions over a significant part of the eastern US and over Southern California. The ozone levels reached “unhealthy” for sensitive groups in Southern California.
Finally, the national Interagency Fire center reports that fire managers are preparing for serious weather conditions expected to hit several northwestern states this weekend.
 |  |
 |  |