DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z February 23, 2008

Similar to yesterday, a large amount of cloudiness covered the
southeastern portion of the country greatly hindering fire and smoke
detection there from satellite imagery.

South Central US:
Cloudiness was much less prevalent across the Central US. Smoke plumes
were visible in satellite imagery over western Oklahoma as well as
western and southern Texas. Many of the smoke plumes were rather small
and thin in density. Some that stood out include a fire in Dawson
County of western Texas which has been burning since yesterday and was
responsible for a batch of smoke of relatively thin density which moved
mainly in an eastward direction during the day. Over southern Texas,
the largest smoke plumes were associated with fires in Frio County and
close to the border of Goliad, Victoria, and Refugio Counties.  The Frio
County smoke plume was light to moderate in density and extended nearly
70 miles to the east while the smoke plume associated with the fire near
the Goliad-Victoria-Refugio County border was mainly thin in density
and fanned out as it spread southward toward coastal southeastern Texas.

Hawaii:
Again, more possible smoke from Kilauea lava flows burning vegetation
mixed with volcanic steam/fog (VOG) was seen in visible satellite imagery
moving to the west-southwest along the southern coast of the big island
of Hawaii.

JS

Unless otherwise indicated:

Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.

Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.

A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.

Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.