DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0000Z November 29, 2007
Southern and Southeastern US: A significant amount of fires were detected in satellite imagery during the day, but only approximately 17 of them were emitting smoke that was visible in satellite imagery. Nearly all of the plumes were thin in density and relatively small. The largest plume was a light to moderately dense plume associated with a fire near the border of Charleston and Georgetown Counties in southeastern South Carolina. This area of smoke spread to the southwest during the day nearing the vicinity of Charleston during the late afternoon. Arizona: A large fire in the Coconino National Forest in southern Coconino County between Payson and Winslow was responsible for a dense smoke plume which fanned out to the northeast and also to the southwest. A developing moderately dense to locally dense smoke plume from a fire just east of Prescott in east central Yavapai County was observed moving to the northeast before clouds obscured the view. Smoke was also briefly visible from two fires in southern Apache County before cloudiness interfered with additional smoke detection and density information. California: News reports indicate a controlled burn was set on Mount Hamilton near the Lick Observatory in Santa Clara County. Visible satellite imagery showed a burst of moderately dense to locally dense smoke from this fire which fanned out to the east and west as the mass of smoke moved southward. The smoke also took on some interesting ring shaped characteristics in satellite imagery. Fires in or close to the Sierra Nevada Range in El Dorado, Mariposa, and Fresno Counties were emitting moderately dense to locally dense smoke plumes which were generally moving very slowly northward. Several fires were detected once again in the Sacrament Valley. Moderately dense smoke plumes were observed moving rapidly to the south from fires in eastern Colusa and western Sutter Counties in the general direction of Sacramento. JS