MSGID: 1:317/3 631f73c3   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   September 12, 2022 - Smoke Shrouds the Sawtooth Range and Salmon River   
   Mountains   
      
      Smoke   
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      On September 9, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of   
      multiple blazes pouring smoke across Central Idaho. Each red “hot spot”   
      marks an area where the thermal bands on the instrument detected high   
      temperatures indicative of actively-burning fire. Smoke pours from   
      several fires at the western edge of the Sawtooth Range and is blown   
      westward by strong winds. In the rest of the Sawtooth Range and in the   
      Salmon River Mountains, smoke seeps into the low-lying valleys,   
      creating a shroud so thick that it obscures the valley floors from   
      view. A thinner pall also lies over the high elevations and stretches   
      southward over Sun Valley and the Craters of the Moon National Monument   
      as well as southwestward over Boise.   
      
      The primary sources of the dense, choking smoke likely comes from local   
      Idaho blazes, but many of the other conflagrations burning across the   
      Western United States add to the thick haze. According to the National   
      Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) on September 9, at least 96 large fires   
      were burning on 690,000 acres (2800 square kilometers) in eight states.   
      Many of the fires were clustered in the Northern Rockies, the Great   
      Basin, and the Pacific Northwest, with 37 burning in Idaho, 22 in   
      Montana, 12 apiece in Oregon and Washington, and 10 in California.   
      
      When smoke is captured by the wind, it can rise high in the atmosphere   
      and travel long distances, sometimes avoiding creating significant   
      hazard at ground level. When the winds are quiet and smoke drops close   
      to the ground, the particulate matter and gases in the smoke can create   
      health hazards for both humans and animals, as well as dirtying cars,   
      houses, and the landscape. Comments from residents of Idaho, posted on   
      social media, noted the effects. On the US National Weather Service   
      Boise Idaho Facebook Page, one person stated, “I’ve got such a headache   
      from it…there is NO WHERE to get out of it.” Another shared, “Smoke is   
      everywhere I’ve been…My voice is getting raspy.” The statement that   
      seemed to sum up both the smoke and fire season best was a heartfelt   
      lament, “Ugh, it feels like it’s never going to end”.   
      
      According to the U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response   
      Program, air quality on the evening of September 7 in the Salmon area   
      reached an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 385, which is ranked as   
      Hazardous, due to smoke. The highest AQI recorded at the same station   
      on September 9 reached 295, which is ranked as Very Unhealthy. Air   
      quality has improved since that date, but, because the inversion which   
      has trapped the smoke near ground level has failed to break, the air   
      quality forecast in the Salmon area is anticipated to be “Unhealthy for   
      Sensitive Groups” over the next several days. The improvement is   
      attributed to the anticipated appearance of gusting winds that should   
      help move smoke away from ground level.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:   
      Date Acquired: 9/9/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (34.2 KB),  500m (108.7 KB),  250m (312.9   
      KB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-09-12   
       
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