DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z MAY 5, 2006.
Gulf of Mexico: A tremendous area of smoke from the numerous fires burning across Mexico and Central America has once again spread northward across a good portion of the western and central Gulf of Mexico. Some of the smoke has moved very close to far southern Texas as well as southern Louisiana. Most of the smoke appears to be relatively thin although patches of moderately dense smoke are embedded within the entire area. The smoke becomes locally dense in the southern Bay of Campeche and also off over and offshore of the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Florida: Fires burning in southeastern Polk County as well as along the border of Orange and Brevard Counties of central and east central Florida were responsible for moderately dense smoke plumes (locally dense closer to the source) which fanned out as they spread eastward across the east coast and offshore. Smoke from a brush fire over south central Dade County moved southwestward then westward off the southern tip of Florida. Virginia: Thin to moderately dense smoke spread eastward across the Richmond metro area this afternoon and evening from a fire burning in Amelia County. New Mexico: A very large wildfire located in south central Socorro County of west central New Mexico was producing a very large mass of rather dense smoke which spread quickly eastward reaching the northwestern Texas Panhandle around Amarillo by sunset. California/Oregon/Washington/Idaho/Montana: Scattered fires across northern California, Oregon, eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and western and central Montana were producing generally thin to moderately dense smoke plumes. Many of these fires were believed to be agricultural burns or prescribed/control burns. JS