DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z October 12, 2006
Florida: Moderately dense to locally dense smoke was observed spreading eastward from a fire located near the Madison-Taylor County border region of northern Florida this afternoon. Satellite imagery indicated the fire was still burning late this evening. Arkansas/Western Tennessee/Louisiana/Western Mississippi: An extremely large number of what are believed to be primarily agricultural fires were detected this afternoon across southeastern Missouri, eastern Arkansas, western Mississippi, and northeastern Louisiana. Relatively small quick puffs of smoke were noted with some of these fires with the smoke moving generally in an eastward direction. A couple of more significant fires were noted in Grant and Dallas Counties of central and south central Arkansas which were producing moderately dense eastward moving smoke plumes. Also, a fire over the extreme southern Louisiana Parish of Vermillion was emitting a dense smoke plume which was moving southeastward over the Gulf of Mexico. Arizona: At least 3 significant smoke producing fires were detected across Arizona this afternoon. One was located in Mohave County of far northwestern Arizona which was responsible for a moderately dense to locally dense smoke plume which was moving mainly in an eastward direction. Other fires in Yavapai and Coconino Counties of central Arizona were also producing moderately dense to locally dense smoke plumes that were moving more to the east-northeast. California: A rather large fire in Tulare County of south central California was emitting a narrow but locally dense smoke plume which traveled in a north-northwest direction. Areas of relatively thin smoke were noted moving southward through the Sacramento Valley, likely from agricultural burns. Over northern California, once again locally dense smoke within a large mass of at least moderately dense smoke was observed moving westward from the persistent fires in Siskiyou and Trinity Counties. At least 2 more fires in Lassen County of northeastern California were producing smaller but still locally dense smoke plumes which were moving mainly in a westerly direction. Washington/Oregon/Idaho/Western Montana: Quite a few smoke plumes, some moderately dense to locally dense, were detected scattered across Oregon, central and eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and western Montana. The greatest concentration of smoke producing fires within this large area were over southeastern Washington, the Idaho Panhandle, and extreme western Montana. JS