CSPP Geosphere views of smoke in Oregon and Idaho
CSPP Geosphere animations from GOES-West (above, link) and GOES-East (below, link) both show an active fire — the Cedar Creek fire — over Oregon (previously discussed here). Low-level winds (as shown in the 1200 UTC sounding from Medford OR) are moving the smoke plume out over the Pacific Ocean. The oblique side-view from GOES-East (below) gives a better view of the structure of the smoke plume.
Later in the day, a brief pyrocumulus jump ejected smoke to higher altitudes, where westerly winds prevailed:
Fires over Idaho are also producing smoke that has been trapped in valleys, as shown below. Much of Idaho is under an Air Quality Alert (link). A current map of Air Quality can be viewed here. The image from 2000 UTC on 9 September is here.
