DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z October 8, 2006
Arkansas/Missouri/Mississippi/Louisiana: A very large number of what are believed to be mainly agricultural burns were detected across southeastern Missouri,eastern Arkansas, western Mississippi, and northeastern Louisiana. Small relatively short puffs of smoke were observed moving to the southwest with several of these fires. Larger fires in Pike, Scott, and Saline counties of central and western Arkansas were emitting moderately dense to even locally dense smoke which was spreading westward during the afternoon. The earlier leftover smoke from these fires which was visible this morning over portions of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri was no longer discernible in satellite imagery. North Dakota/Minnesota/Southern Canada: A large batch of mainly agricultural fires were noted across the northeastern portion of North Dakota. Rather thin smoke plumes were observed moving off to the north-northeast from only a few of these fires, but cloudiness in the region likely prevented additional smoke detection. A larger fire in eastern Kittson County of far northwestern Minnesota has been burning since at least yesterday and was producing smoke which was moving off to the north-northeast into Canada. Not much detail could be deduced from satellite imagery though due to cloudiness in this area. California: The persistent fires which have been burning for quite some time this Summer continue to burn in Siskiyou and Trinity Counties of northwestern California resulting in moderately dense to locally dense smoke which began to move in a more southwesterly direction during the late afternoon across Humboldt County. Quick bursts of smoke were detected from fires in the central California counties of Colusa, Butte, and Yuba which were moving very rapidly southward through the Sacramento Valley. Washington/Oregon/Idaho: Another region of what is believed to be mainly agricultural fires were detected across southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon. Mostly thin to perhaps locally moderately dense small areas of smoke were visible moving mainly in an eastward direction from these fires. Some of the smoke had moved from eastern Washington into the Idaho Panhandle. JS