DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0130Z October 02, 2007
Kentucky: At least 5 fires burning in the forested region of southeastern Kentucky were producing mainly thin to locally moderately dense smoke plumes which moved to the north toward the Kentucky-West Virginia border during the day. Georgia/Alabama/Mississippi: Numerous fires were detected scattered across Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi with a few producing visible smoke plumes. Some of the more notable smoke plumes were moving to the southwest from fires in southwestern Georgia, southeastern Alabama, and south central Mississippi. A fire in southwestern Randolph County in east central Alabama emitted a moderately dense smoke plume which moved to the west-southwest toward central Alabama. A moderately dense to dense smoke plume from a fire in Barbour County of southeastern Alabama moved to the southwest nearing the western Florida panhandle by sunset. Finally, in Jasper County of south central Mississippi, a moderately dense to dense smoke plume was observed moving to the southwest during the afternoon. Cloudiness interfered with smoke detection from this fire by late in the afternoon. Arkansas/Missouri: A rather large number of fires were detected in the agricultural region of the Mississippi Valley including portions of southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas resulting in quite a few brief puffs of mainly thin but occasionally very localized moderately dense smoke which moved primarily in an easterly or southeasterly direction. Northwestern Minnesota/Northeastern North Dakota/South Central Canada: Many fires were also noted in portions of northeastern North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota, southeastern Saskatchewan Province in southern Canada, and especially southern Manitoba Province in southern Canada. However, only a few smoke plumes were observed in satellite imagery due to the presence of widespread cloudiness passing overhead during the afternoon. The most significant smoke plume was a moderately dense plume, originating from a fire in Cavalier County of northeastern North Dakota, which moved to the north into southern Manitoba Province. California: A fire in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in northern Tulare County of south central California was producing a moderately dense to dense smoke plume that moved primarily to the south but also fanned out to the east as well. A burst of thin smoke from a fire close to the Solano-Sacramento County border area in central California moved quickly to the south-southeast. Several fires in eastern Glenn and eastern Colusa Counties of central California were also emitting rather brief puffs of mainly thin to possible locally moderately dense smoke which spread rapidly to the south just to the west of Sacramento and to the northeast of the Oakland metro area. Alaska: The long burning fire in far north central Alaska continues to burn but smoke was barely visible during the day due to persistent cloudiness in the region. JS