DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0215Z MARCH 13, 2006
Texas/Oklahoma/New Mexico/Kansas: A combination of continued dry conditions, high winds and low humidities are causing a large outbreak of growing wildfires across east New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, west Oklahoma and south Kansas. Three very large fires (2 in Texas and 1 in New Mexico) continue to increase in size in GOES-12 satellite imagery and have been since late this morning. The full extent of smoke associated with these large fires is difficult to determine due to the combination of blowing dust and some scattered cloud cover. Possible blowing dust can be seen from southeast New Mexico/southwest Texas stretching into northern Texas/Texas Panhandle and across west Oklahoma and south Kansas. The first of the three very large fires is burning in Carson, Hutchinson and Gray counties in Texas and is continuing to grow. The fire is emitting a very thick plume of smoke moving northeast across Lipscomb, Ochiltree, Hemphill and Roberts counties in Texas and Beaver, Ellis and Harper counties in Oklahoma. The second of the three large fires is burning in Donley and Gray counties in Texas and is emitting a even larger area of smoke northeast into the counties of Wheeler, Roberts, Hemphill. The smoke continues to move northeast into the counties of Ellis, Roger Mills, Woodward, Harper and Dewey in Oklahoma. The third large burning fire is located in Lea County in New Mexico. The very dense smoke from this fire is moving east northeast across the county and across state borders into Texas. The counties included are Yoakum, Cochran, Hockley, Terry, Lubbock, Lynn, Lamb and Hale. Small burning fires across Texas include one in the county of Cottle. Dense smoke from this fire is moving northeast across Childress county in Texas and Harmon and Jackson counties in Oklahoma. In Hartley county Texas a fire is producing an area of dense smoke moving northeast across the counties of Oldham, Dallam and Moore in Texas, Texas and Beaver counties in Oklahoma and into south Kansas. In Oklahoma a fire in Jefferson county is producing an area of moderately dense smoke moving northeast across Canadian, Caddo, Blaine, Logan and Garfield counties. In New Mexico a fire burning in Union county is emitting an area of moderately dense smoke moving east across Union and into the Texas county of Dallam. J Kibler