DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1600Z May 27, 2007
Southeastern US: Smoke from the ongoing large fires in southeastern Georgia was visible this morning moving initially to the west from the source. The smoke then fanned out to the north and south as it spread westward across the Florida panhandle, the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, Alabama, western and northern Georgia. From northeastern Alabama and northern Georgia, the smoke then spread northeastward into far eastern Tennessee and the western Carolinas. The smoke appeared to be at least moderately dense to locally dense over the region extending from southeastern Georgia to southwestern Georgia along the Georgia-Alabama border, then northward over western and northern Georgia including the Atlanta metro area. Middle Atlantic Region: Haze covered a good portion of the Middle Atlantic region including parts of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the offshore waters to the east. This haze may possibly contain some residual smoke from the Georgia fires in addition to other pollutants. Quebec/Canadian Maritimes/Northeastern US: Smoke from the fires noted yesterday over Quebec Province in southeastern Canada extended from Nova Scotia eastward into the north Atlantic. Visible imagery this morning doesn't show any significant smoke currently being emitted by the fires in Quebec Province. However, clouds are rapidly spreading over the region from an advancing weather system which will significantly hinder or entirely prevent smoke detection during the day. Western and North Central US: Once again a very large area of thin haze appears in visible satellite imagery with the favorable sun angle just after sunrise. This area of haze where skies were relatively cloud free extended from Alberta Province of western Canada southeastward over eastern Montana and the Dakotas to Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin where it wrapped around the southern portion of a low pressure system located over south central Canada. Some of this haze also appeared to wrap around the northern and western portions of a low pressure system located near the Arizona-New Mexico border. This secondary swath of haze extended from western South Dakota/western Nebraska southwestward to northwestern Colorado and eastern Utah, then southward to northeastern Arizona. The exact cause of all of this thin haze cannot absolutely be determined, but it is believed to possibly still be due to the ongoing dust storms which originate mainly in Asia. This haze has been visible on and off mainly just prior to sunset and after sunrise for the past couple of weeks or so. Alaska: Visible imagery this morning shows a rather large batch of thin to locally moderately dense smoke centered over central Alaska. Several fires over central Alaska were responsible for this smoke. JS