DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1332Z May 18, 2007
Southeast (GA/FL/Bahamas): The eastern firebreak of the big Turnaround Complex has reactivated today with dense smoke being generated. Before the Atlantic sea breeze passed an hour or so ago, the smoke was drifting SW across Ware and Charlton counties in GA to around the Lakeland area. Since then the main area of dense smoke is beginning to fan out with the most dense area beginning to drift ESE along the FL/GA state line affecting northern Jacksonville. Moderately dense smoke from last night drifted SW into the Gulf of Mexico and over the coastal counties of S Levy, Citrus Hernando and Pasco...still the most dense area is between 140km offshore to the coast of Pinellas county. This area is connected by a thin area of thin smoke across central FL (50km either side of a line from Hernando county to C Volusia county) to an area of dense smoke from this week's earlier emissions that is affecting the northern Bahamaian islands of Grand Bahama and all of Abaco. This area is bound to the north by the weak front from Volusia county NE to around 30N74.5W to the northern tip of Eleuthera to a few miles north of New Providence island north to Freeport back to Cape Canaveral. The BICY Complex in southern FL along Allegator Alley is producing thin smoke that mixes with thunderstorm activity across Broward county and S Palm Beach county to 80km offshore of West Palm Beach. The thunderstorm updrafts are aiding transport of the smoke to the mid and upper levels of the troposphere. A fire at the corner of Hendry and Collier county to the NE of Immokalee is producing moderate to dense smoke that fans between E and SE and covers all of SE Hendry county and western Palm Beach county. Mississippi: A fire near Paulding and Fouke in Jasper county, MS is producing moderately dense smoke that has moved SSW to SE corner of Pearl River county near the Hancock county line. The plume is about 22km wide. Louisiana: A fire near Newlin and Singer in Beauregard parish is producing moderate to dense smoke that has moved SSW to the northern tip of Sabine Lake and is also about 22km wide. Nevada: A fire near US-50 along the Egan range NW of Ely is producing an area of moderately dense smoke that is moving ENE covering much of the Steptoe Valley south of Cherry Creek. N Quebec: A fire near 51N75.25W (just SE of Lac Camousitchouane) is producing a fan of very dense smoke between NE and due E...more than 400km long to the NE and 360km long to the east (to around Lac Perdu). The area is becoming obscurred by an approaching weather clouds along a front. A fire just SW of Lac Assinica and Lac Comencho has recently begun to produce a line of dense smoke that is rapidly moving toward the east but is very narrow...not more than 2-3 km wide but extends more than 34km in less than 30minutes. Gallina This product may be updated by 200Z if changing smoke conditions warrant or additional large fires break out.