DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2345Z October 14, 2006
Southeast US: A broad area of thin density smoke was seen across the Tennessee Valley this morning stretching across much of southern Tennessee, northern Alabama, northwest Georgia, northern Mississippi and far western North and South Carolina. The source of the smoke is likely the numerous agricultural fires from yesterday afternoon and evening in the Mississippi valley. A few narrow plumes of thin to moderately dense smoke were seen scattered across the region. Two were seen over northeast North Carolina moving off the coast, one was over southeast Georgia also moving off the coast and a couple were over southern Alabama with the plumes extending south toward the Gulf coast. Arkansas and southeast Missouri: A large number of agricultural/prescribe fires were seen extending from the Missouri Bootheel southward into eastern Arkansas. Numerous small plumes of mainly thin smoke were seen associated with some of the fires and they were moving mainly to the south and southeast. North Dakota, Minnesota, southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba: A tremendous number of agricultural/prescribe fires were seen across the region this afternoon and evening. However, only a few small plumes of thin smoke were seen. Cloud cover was increasing and this hindered detection of the small plumes. Montana/Idaho: A blaze in Meagher county in western Montana had a narrow plume of thin smoke extending to the east. Several long burning fires in central Idaho were producing area of thin to locally moderately dense smoke that was mainly moving to the east. A fire in southeast Clark county was producing a moderately dense plume of smoke that extended to the northeast reaching the Montana border. California: The ongoing fires in Trinity and Siskiyou counties in northern California continued to produce moderately dense smoke. The smoke had been swirling in the area in the morning but as the afternoon progressed clouds from an approaching weather system increased and obscured the smoke. It is expected the the smoke will be drawn more to the north toward the Oregon border. Several fires in the Sacramento Valley in Sutter and Colusa counties produced puffs of moderately dense smoke that quickly lifted to the north. Hawaii: A fire this morning on the west central coast of Maui produced a light smoke plume that extended to the west and south and curled over Kahoolawe. Ruminski