Monday, April 23, 2007

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

 


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.