DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z MARCH 16, 2006
Southeastern US: Numerous fires were detected in satellite imagery across the southeasten portion of the country. Quite a few smoke plumes were also visible. Several fires over southern South Carolina produced an area of smoke which moved southeastward and offshore. A rather concentrated batch of fires across southeastern Alabama, southwestern Georgia, and the Florida panhandle were responsible for an areas of moderately dense smoke which had spread in a southward direction during the late afternoon. Arkansas/Missouri: Cloudiness overspread the region during the afternoon making smoke detection difficult. However, before the clouds moved in a few smoke plumes were visible moving northward. Kansas: Long narrow northward moving smoke plumes were noted from fires burning in Hodgeman County of west central Kansas. Oklahoma/Texas: Several significant hotspots were detected in satellite imagery this afternoon across Oklahoma and the northern Texas panhandle. However, cloudiness prevented any smoke from being seen with the exception of a northward moving smoke plume from a fire in southern Pittsburg County of eastern Oklahoma. JS