DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z October 21, 2005
Southern Canada: Several significant fires scattered across south central and southeastern Ontario Province of Canada were responsible for dense smoke plumes which were moving off to the ESE. Southeastern US/Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley/Southeastern Texas: Numerous fires with smoke were detected this afternoon and early evening across a very large swath stretching from southeastern Texas across the middle and lower Mississippi Valley to the Southeast. The fires with the largest and most dense smoke plumes were over western Georgia, central to southwestern Alabama, central to western Louisiana, and southeastern Texas. All smoke plumes in this region were moving in a NNE or NE direction. Even though a very concentrated area of agricultural burns was analyzed over the middle Mississippi Valley, only minimal amounts of smoke were detected. Cloudiness from an approaching weather system overspread the area late in the afternoon at the time when smoke generally can be observed the best using GOES-East Visible Imagery with the low sun angle. Eastern Oklahoma/Western Arkansas: An isolated fire fanned by gusty westerly winds over western Pushmataha county of eastern Oklahoma was producing a narrow smoke plume which extended over 100 miles to the east into western Arkansas. Oregon/California: Areas of locally dense smoke moving off to the east were detected this evening from several fires scattered across the Ochoco National Forest and the Malheur National Forest of central and eastern Oregon. Other fires over Klamath County of southern Oregon were producing smoke plumes that had spread southeastward toward the California border. At least 2 of these fires were noted in the Winema National Forest. Quite a few fires were also observed farther to the south over northern and central California including several significant smoke producing fires in the forests along the western slopes of the northern and central Sierras. The smoke from these fires was generally moving to the southwest toward the Sacramento Valley. A fire just east of Crescent City in far northwestern California and one very close to or in the northern portion of the Redwood National Park were spreading locally dense smoke southward. Southwestern Canada: Numerous fires over southern and central British Columbia were responsible for patches of smoke. The smoke from the fires in southern British Columbia was moving southeasterly while the plumes over the central portion of the province were headed northward. JS