DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0145Z April 24, 2007
Georgia: The large fire in Ware County of southeastern Georgia continues to burn and is responsible for a very large area of smoke which moved generally in a north-northwest direction. The smoke was again of the moderately dense to dense variety but it did appear to be somewhat less than in earlier days. Early in the day just after sunrise, very thin smoke was visible across northeastern Georgia and into northwestern South Carolina. However, this smoke was no longer visible later in the morning and into the afternoon. North Carolina/South Carolina: A fire just northeast of Wilmington, NC in southeastern Pender County was emitting a large area of moderately dense to even locally dense smoke which moved northeastward during the afternoon reaching the southern portions of Pamlico Sound by early evening. Another significant batch of thin to moderately dense smoke was observed moving to the northeast from a fire in northern Horry County of northeastern South Carolina. The leading edge of the smoke from this fire was just northwest of Wilmington, NC by early evening. Florida: A fire in western Duval County of northeastern Florida was producing a locally dense patch of smoke which appeared to drift to the north. In the southwestern Florida County of Collier, a large fire just southeast of Naples increased during the afternoon resulting in a significant mass of moderately dense to dense smoke which moved in a westerly direction across Naples and well off the coast. Alabama: Moderately dense to locally dense smoke was spreading northeastward from a fire in southwestern Chilton County of central Alabama. Mississippi: Fires in Jones and along the Perry/Forrest County border of southern Mississippi were both emitting moderately dense to dense areas of smoke which moved mainly in a northeastward direction. The smoke from the fire along the Perry/Forrest County border also fanned out as it moved off to the northeast, covering a larger region. The hotspot continued to be evident with this fire well after sunset in GOES imagery. Kansas/Nebraska/Missouri/Iowa: Numerous fires were detected once again mainly over eastern Kansas but smoke detection was nearly impossible due to widespread cloudiness. A few smoke plumes were noted with fires a bit farther to the northeast over southeastern Nebraska, southwestern Iowa, and northwestern Missouri. Washington: Fires in Okanogan, Ferry, and Setvens counties of northeastern Washington were producing a region of mostly thin smoke which moved in an northeasterly direction. New Mexico/Western and Northern Texas/Western Oklahoma/Western Kansas: Gusty southwesterly and southerly winds blowing across the Southwest kicked up a swath of mainly thin blowing dust which extended from southern New Mexico/western Texas(near El Paso) across eastern New Mexico to the northwestern Texas and western Oklahoma panhandles and into southwestern Kansas and southeastern Colorado. Southeastern Texas/Southern Louisiana: Thin smoke combined with haze was observed across the western Gulf of Mexico extending northward into southeastern and southern Texas as well as southern Louisiana. The thin smoke was caused by the large number of fires burning across Central America and southeastern Mexico including the Yucatan Peninsula. JS