DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0030Z November 11, 2007
Alabama: A fire close to the border of Fayette and Walker counties of northwestern Alabama was emitting at least a moderately dense smoke plume which moved southward during the afternoon. Cirrus clouds passing overhead did limit more detailed information concerning the extent and the density of the smoke plume. In southern Alabama a couple of very long narrow plumes were observed moving to the south-southeast and over the western Florida panhandle. These plumes originated from fires in Covington and Coffee counties. Louisiana: Several fires burning along the southern coast of Louisiana in southeastern Vermillion Parish and also in Marsh Island and Point au Fer Island were responsible for areas of moderately dense smoke which moved erratically while mainly fanning out to the north and south. Southern Canada/North Dakota: Once again, numerous fires were detected across southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba provinces of south central Canada and especially eastern North Dakota. However, cloudiness moving across the region hindered smoke detection greatly. Only a few small smoke plumes were observed in visible satellite imagery. Arizona: The largest and thickest smoke plume by far today was associated with a fire burning in the Kaibab National Forest close to the northern portion of the Grand Canyon in northwestern Coconino County. This moderately dense to dense smoke plume moved to the northeast into southern Utah during the afternoon and early evening. A smaller fire producing a thin to locally moderately dense northeastward moving smoke plume was located in southern Coconino County of central Arizona close to the border of Yavapai and Gila counties. Oregon: A cluster of fires over Lincoln and western Polk counties in west central Oregon was responsible for a batch of thin to perhaps moderately dense smoke which moved to the west and northwest and off the coast. Washington: Several fires in western Klickitat County of south central Washington were emitting mainly thin to possibly locally moderately dense smoke plumes which moved primarily in an eastward direction. Hawaii: The Kilauea Volcano continues to produce lava flows which may be encountering vegetation on the northern periphery. Visible imagery did indicate the possibility of smoke from the burning vegetation mixing with the usual volcanic steam (VOG) and moving to the west along the southern coastal regions of the big island of Hawaii. JS