DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z MAY 6, 2006.
Gulf of Mexico: The tremendous number of fires burning across Mexico (especially the Yucatan Peninsula) and Central America continues to produce a very large mass of smoke which covers much of the region from the Bay of Campeche northward to the western and central Gulf of Mexico. Some of the smoke may have spread northward into or very close to southern and southeastern Texas as well as extreme southern Louisiana. Visible imagery just prior to sunset show a general haze across these portions of Texas and Louisiana which may contain some remnant thin smoke. Cuba/Florida: A significant number of fires across Cuba were responsible for numerous smoke plumes. The fires over the western portion of Cuba were spreading smoke in a more northerly direction which appeared to be moving close to or across the Florida Keys. An area of haze which may also contain some remnant smoke extended from the western portion of Cuba northward then curving northeastward toward west central Florida. Over Florida several very intense fires were observed this afternoon and early evening producing major plumes of locally dense smoke. The largest fires were located in Volusia, eastern Orange, west central Brevard, and southeastern Polk Counties. The smoke plumes spread eastward across the east central coast of Florida and out over the Atlantic Ocean. Mexico/Texas/Arizona: A large fire near or in the Sierra Del Carmen range in northern Mexico was emitting a very long moderately to locally dense smoke plume which moved northeastward into Val Verde County of southwestern Texas. Another rather large fire just south of the Arizona-Mexico border in the Sierra De San Antonio range was also producing a very long moderately dense to locally dense smoke plume which moved northeastward across the AZ border south of Tuscon into southwestern New Mexico. Dakotas/Minnesota/Wisconsin: Scattered fires and a few thin to moderately dense patches of smoke were observed across this region. California/Oregon/Washington/Idaho/Montana: Locally dense smoke was observed from fires western Missoula and Sanders Counties of northwestern Montana as well as Valley County of central Idaho and Wallowa County of northeastern Oregon. Over southern California, a fire close to the Los Angeles-San Bernardino County border was producing a moderately dense smoke plume which initially moved in a southeasterly direction but later in the evening began spreading easterly. Mexico/Western Texas: Blowing dust was observed originating from source regions mainly south of the Mexico-New Mexico border and moving eastward across western Texas including spots such as El Paso. JS