DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0245Z JUNE 19, 2008
Virginia/North Carolina/Southeastern US: The major fires in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina continue to emit moderately dense to dense smoke which moved mainly in an east-southeast direction and over the northeastern and central Outer Banks and Pamlico Sound. Late in the afternoon, the sea breeze and associated wind shift moved inland causing the smoke from the Evans Road fire in northeastern North Carolina to switch directions and begin moving westward. Visible imagery also showed a larger surrounding mass of thin smoke combined with haze from other pollutants across the coastal portions of the Southeast and offshore. South Central North Carolina/Northern South Carolina: Scattered smoke producing fires were also detected over portions of northern South Carolina and south central North Carolina. The primarily thin density smoke plumes from these fires moved to the southeast and combined to form somewhat larger patches by early in the evening. Georgia: Moderately dense to even locally dense smoke from fires in Bryan County and near the border of Evans-Liberty-Bryan counties of southeastern Georgia spread in a southeasterly direction and offshore during the afternoon. Similarly, a moderately dense smoke plume from a fire in northern Ware County of southern Georgia also moved to the southeast. Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley: Just like the past few days, numerous agricultural fires were detected across southeastern Missouri, eastern Arkansas, and northwestern Mississippi. Many smoke plumes of thin to moderate density were observed in late afternoon/early evening visible imagery moving primarily in a southerly direction. Louisiana: A thin to moderately dense smoke plume fanned out as it moved to the south from a fire in St. Tammany Parish in northeastern Louisiana. The smoke plume moved over the eastern part of Lake Pontchartrain and across eastern New Orleans during the late afternoon and evening. Texas: Several smoke producing fires were detected over south central and southwestern Texas. The most significant smoke was associated with a fire in southern Crockett County. This moderately dense plume fanned out to the west and south during the afternoon and early evening. New Mexico: A rapidly growing moderately dense to dense smoke plume spread quickly to the southeast reaching the northwestern Texas panhandle by sunset from a fire in northern Colfax County of northeastern New Mexico. Nearby, another fire developed in the evening over southwestern Union County of northeastern New Mexico, but cloudiness prevented smoke detection before sunset. Over southern New Mexico, moderately dense to locally dense smoke was observed at times around a fire in eastern Otero County near the border with Chaves County. The smoke was covered by clouds at times which hindered additional details especially concerning its extent and movement. Nevada: A moderately dense to dense smoke plume developed rapidly and moved to the east from a fire in northern Nye County of central Nevada. California: A large area of moderately dense to dense smoke fanned out to the southeast and south from a fire in eastern Tulare County in the southern Sierra-Nevada Mountains. To the west, a major smoke producing fire continued to burn in central Monterey County of west central California. The moderately dense to dense smoke plume moved mainly to the south and offshore. However, another portion of the smoke plume moved rapidly to the southeast and inland reaching Kern County by the evening. Central and South Central Canada/North Central US and Ohio Valley: Leftover thin smoke likely from the fires which were burning in northern Saskatchewan Province in Canada was visible in the morning and evening with the favorable low sun angle moving to the southeast across eastern Manitoba and western Ontario provinces, the North Central US including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa, to Indiana, northern Kentucky, and Ohio. Significant cloudiness covered the region in northern Saskatchewan where the fires had been burning so no information concerning the fires today could be obtained in satellite imagery. JS