Sunday, May 7, 2006

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0000Z MAY 8, 2006.

Western Gulf of Mexico:
Widespread smoke covers much of the western half of the Gulf of Mexico
west of about 88W. The source continues to be the tremendous number of
fires over the eastern tip of Yucatan peninsula and southern Mexico.
There are 3 distinct areas where the smoke is more dense. One area is
just off the Louisiana coast and extends south to about 25N between 90W
and 93W. Another area is in the Bay of Campeche and is roughly between
92W and 95W and reaching to 25N. The most dense area is over and north
of the eastern tip of the Yucatan extending to about 75 km offshore. It
is possible that elevated smoke has also reached inland areas of east
Texas and Louisiana but extensive cloudiness across the region precludes
accurate smoke detection.

Cuba/Florida:
Numerous fires across northern Cuba are forming a mass of smoke that
is heading north covering from 81w to 85w and entering Florida in the
Marco/Naples area. The thickest part of this mass is observed coming from
Cardenas,Cuba and covering the western Florida Keys as well as reaching
Marco, Florida.

A wildfire in New Smyrna Beach is producing a narrow dense smoke plume
that extends nearly 200km to the east-northeast over the Atlantic. A fire
in northern Osceola county is producing a moderately dense smoke plume
extending east-northeastward about 150km crossing over Cape Canaveral.
In northeast Highlands county there is a small fire that is giving off
a thin smoke plume that extends into southern Osceola county.  A fire
on the western border of Broward and Palm Beach counties is creating a
thin to locally moderately dense smoke plume that extends 115km in an
eastward direction and extending into the Atlantic.

Wisconsin:
A fire located in northern Wisconsin in the Chequamegon National Forest
produced a narrow thin smoke plume that extended 50km northeast towards
the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

Ruminski/Banks

 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.