Smoky skies over Canada and the U.S.
Over the past few weeks, fires have erupted and spewed high concentrations of smoke over western Canada and the United States. To exacerbate the situation, more fires initiated recently in the western U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) highlighted the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) – Smoke products on social media to warn about the forecasted high smoke concentrations that can lead to human health impacts, bad air quality and reduced visibilities. A few of the WFO social media posts are seen below.
Some of the HRRR-Smoke products that were showcased on social media were the Near-Surface Smoke and the Vertically Integrated Smoke products that include inputs from MODIS and JPSS VIIRS Fire Radiative Power (FRP) data. The products exhibit a 3-km spatial resolution and are updated every hour. Forecast lead times are 48-hours at 00Z, 06Z, 12Z and 18Z, and 18-hours at other times of the day. Users can learn more about the HRRR-Smoke products here.
The HRRR-Smoke products are available online and in the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System – II (AWIPS-II) for NWS forecasters. Note, HRRR-Smoke cross-sections are also available for certain domains. Refer to the animation below displaying the forecasted smoke concentrations (near the surface and aloft) within the NWS – Boulder, CO, County Warning Area (CWA) on 24 July 2024. HRRR-Smoke cross sections can be accessed here.