DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1730Z September 22, 2006
Update for Northern and Central California: Gusty northerly winds fanned new fires which popped up overnight in Yolo County as well as Napa County of north central California. A closer examination of morning visible imagery did show an area of relatively thin smoke primarily from the Yolo County fire which had spread southward through the Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley reaching a point southwest of Fresno as of 1730Z. Surface observations from Lemoore(KNLC) indicated a reduction in visibility due to smoke. A newly formed narrow smoke plume was also observed with the Napa County fire which was moving in a southwestward direction and into portions of the Oakland/San Francisco Bay region. Southern California/Arizona/New Mexico/Texas/northern Mexico: The enormous Ventura County fires continue to burn today and are still produce smoke plumes, but the coverage over the coastal portions of southern California including the Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas cannot be determined due to low clouds associated with the marine layer which have moved into southern California. However, additional smoke which originated mainly from yesterday's flare up can be seen moving to the south and east from this morning's satellite imagery. The thin to moderately dense smoke covers a large area including interior southern California, the southern half of Arizona, southern New Mexico, far western Texas (around El Paso), and northern Mexico. Northern California: Moderately dense to locally dense smoke from the Trinity County fires is observed moving in a southwesterly and southerly direction and well out over the Pacific this morning. The fire in Sierra County continues to burn and produce a narrow plume extending to the west-southwest reaching to the border between Sierra and Yuba counties. Zhong/JS