DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z May 15, 2008
Updated... Florida: A heavy, narrow smoke plume in Glades County is currently moving to the west and extends into Charlotte County. The plume of smoke becomes moderately dense as it moves into Charlotte County, and eventually becomes light smoke as it moves off the coast over the Gulf of Mexico. In Miami-Dade County, a heavy smoke plume is moving, and fanning out, to the southwest and extends into Monroe County as moderately dense smoke. The fire has been producing smoke all day, and could perhaps continue to emit smoke through the overnight hours. In addition, fires over Great Abaco Island in the northern Bahamas are producing long moderately dense smoke plumes which were being blown to the west-southwest toward the southeastern Florida coast and also just south of the Florida Keys. Minnesota: A moderately dense smoke plume in the south-central region of the state, in Pope County, extended out 60 miles to the northeast. These puffs of smoke moved into Stearns and Morrison Counties a few hours ago. A number of other smaller smoke plumes were also visible across western and southwestern Minnesota moving off to the northeast. North Dakota: A fire in northern Bottineau County of north central North Dakota was emitting a thin to possibly locally moderately dense smoke plume which fanned out as it spread southward nearly reaching Bismarck by sunset. Washington: Cloudiness cleared in the late afternoon revealing a long moderately dense to locally dense smoke plume moving to the south from a fire in southwestern Okanogan County of north central Washington. Oregon: Fires in western Douglas County emitted a long thin smoke plume which traveled to the southwest and offshore of western Oregon. Western Gulf of Mexico: Possible light smoke was visible over southeastern Texas and southern Louisiana as well as the western Gulf of Mexico and the Bay of Campeche. The smoke was mainly due to the ongoing seasonal fires burning across portions of Mexico and Central America and to a lesser extent from the oil rig flares in the Bay of Campeche. EVANS/JS