DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0015Z February 18, 2007
Southern Florida: A cluster of what are believed to be primarily agricultural fires in Palm Beach County of southeastern Florida were responsible for very small puffs of thin smoke which spread eastward and combined to form a larger batch of thin smoke which moved off Florida's east coast. Florida Panhandle: Fires in Santa Rosa and along the Walton-Okaloosa County border in the Florida Panhandle were emitting thin to perhaps locally moderately dense smoke plumes which moved in an easterly direction. Louisiana: At least 2 fires in central Rapides Parish of central Louisiana were producing a significant area of moderately dense to locally dense smoke which quickly moved to the southeast. The leading edge of this smoke had spread across the New Orleans metro area just prior to sunset. Texas: A very long narrow mainly thin to moderately dense smoke plume was observed moving southeastward from a fire in San Jacinto County of southeastern Texas. The smoke plume moved to the east of Houston and well off the coast into the Gulf of Mexico. Several other narrow smoke plumes of thin density were detected moving southeastward and out over the Gulf of Mexico from fires located in Brazoria, Matagorda, Calhoun, and Aransas Counties of southeastern Texas. Of these plumes, the one originating from the fire near Aransas County was the largest and most extensive while the smoke plume associated with the eastern Matagorda County fire was the most dense of the group. JS