DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0130Z October 03, 2007
Kentucky: Similar to yesterday, a handful of fires burning in the forested regions of eastern Kentucky were emitting thin to moderately dense smoke plumes which moved in a northerly direction. Florida Panhandle/Alabama/Mississippi/Louisiana/Southeastern Texas: Numerous fires were detected across the Southeast and South Central portions of the nation with more than 2 dozen producing visible smoke in satellite imagery. The most concentrated area of smoke producing fires were observed in west central and southwestern Alabama, the southern half of Mississippi, and northern Louisiana. Thin to moderately dense smoke plumes were seen moving to the southwest from fires in Alabama, southern Mississippi, and southern Louisiana. Smoke from the fires in southeastern Texas was generally moving off to the northwest. The northern Louisiana fires were producing thin to moderately dense smoke plumes which moved northward into southern Arkansas. Northwestern Mississippi/Eastern Arkansas/Southeastern Missouri: Many fires were scattered across the agricultural regions of northwestern Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, and southeastern Missouri bordering the Mississippi River. However, only a few small smoke plumes were detected in satellite imagery moving to the northwest from fires in northwestern Mississippi. Widespread cloudiness interfered with smoke detection in the other areas. Northwestern Texas: Scattered fires mainly in Lamb and Castro Counties in the northwestern Texas panhandle were emitting thin to perhaps moderately dense smoke plumes which consolidated into a larger mass of smoke which spread quickly eastward toward the western Red River region. South Central Canada/North Dakota: A very large number of what are believed to be mainly agricultural fires were detected in southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba Provinces of south central Canada and North Dakota. Several smoke plumes or areas of smoke were also observed in visible satellite imagery during the afternoon. The most concentrated or numerous smoke plumes were seen moving to the southeast across eastern North Dakota from fires burning primarily in northeastern North Dakota. Other concentrated batches of smoke were moving to the east from fires in southeastern Saskatchewan Province across southwestern Manitoba Province to just west of Lake Winnipegosis. Arizona: Moderately dense to dense smoke was spreading eastward from a couple of fires in southern Coconino County of central Arizona. California: The fire in northern Tulare County in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of south central California continues to produce mainly moderately dense smoke which fanned out to the east and to the west as it spread slowly southward during the day. Scattered fires to the northwest of Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley were emitting short puffs of thin to locally moderately dense smoke which moved mainly in a northerly direction. Hawaii: Lava flows from Kilauea may still be burning vegetation resulting in smoke being produced in addition to the usual volcanic steam. Visible imagery showed this possible smoke plume moving off to the west along the southern coast of the big island of Hawaii. JS